Flee on Sight
by Jrf Steel
Summary: After Naruto is attacked by yet another mob, The Third Hokage makes a decision that will turn Naruto into one of the most fearsome shinobi in the world.Naruto/God-like/Multi-pairings Sasuke bashing.
1. Chapter 1

Flee on Sight

**AN: Warning! Warning! This is a God-like Naruto story, if you do not like stories like this, than please stop here! This story is purely for my own pleasure of having Naruto stomping mud holes in people and walking them dry. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters**

The third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen had a look of disappointment on his face as he looked down on the people of his village from his office in the Hokage Tower. The look of disappointment was not only for the people of the village but also for himself for his inability to protect the six year old blond child healing on his couch behind him.

The six year old was one Naruto Uzumaki, jinchurriki of the Nine tailed demon fox. He was brought to the Hokage about 10 minutes ago after yet another attack by the people of this village who couldn't tell the difference between a kunai and the scroll it was sealed into.

'_What have I condemned this child to? No one deserves the pain he's been through' _thought Sarutobi sensing an incoming chakra he turned towards the spot were an Anbu wearing a crow mask appeared in a **shunsin** "Report Crow" he said in a stern voice.

"Hokage -sama everyone involved with the attack on Naruto has been rounded up and taken to Ibiki. At last count there were 14 civilians, 3 genin, 3 chunin and 1 jonin" Crow replied in a monotone voice.

Sighing deeply the Hokage said "Tell Ibiki no kid gloves. He has my full support to do whatever he wants to the Shinobi. Give the civilians to Anko tell her the only restrictions are they are to be kept alive. I want them to be made examples of for breaking my laws"

**(Elsewhere in the Village)**

"Why do I have the sudden urge to kiss the Hokage full on the mouth?" said the scarred interrogation specialist.

"I don't know, but does it feel like Christmas to you?" asked his purple haired partner asked

'_Kami' _Crow thought '_Giving Ibiki and Anko free reign to do what they please. It would be more merciful too have them killed after their quality time with those two' "_Hai Hokage-sama" he said out loud and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

After Crow left Sarutobi made his way over to the couch Naruto was sleeping on. Looking down on the child he couldn't help but shake his head at what this village has done to such an innocent child. He usually golden blond hair was caked with drying blood. His white shirt and blue shorts wear torn and bloodied and his feet were dirty and bare. Not being able to stomach the thought of this happening to Naruto again the Hokage made a decision. The only decision the Hokage knew of that could make up for the life Naruto has lived so far. Decision made, Sarutobi motioned for his hidden Anbu stationed around the office to reveal themselves.

Four Anbu appeared kneeling in front of the Hokage with their heads bowed, they were Dog, Crane, Bear and Lizard." I'm about to initiate a SSS-class protocol, your all to wait outside until I call for you" he said.

The Anbu hesitated for a moment it was rare for such a code to used. An SSS-class protocol was code for no matter what you hear do not enter this office unless you're suicidal and kill anyone who tries to enter the office no matter rank or position in the village. After receiving a glare from the Hokage they all left to take up positions outside the room. After the Anbu left the room the Hokage put up one of his strongest sound and security barriers.

Moving to the center of the room the Hokage pulled aside the plain black rug that was in the center of the room. Breaking the genjutsu on the floor, a very intricate seal was revealed. Biting his thumb the Hokage knelt over the seal wrote his name in the center of the seal and also placed his bloody fingerprints underneath his name like he would on signing summoning scroll. Next he made a hand seal with his index finger and middle fingers of both hands crossed with each other" **Shadow clone jutsu!**" he shouted and created three reinforced clones each with about 20% of his chakra. After using that much chakra he was panting slightly. "Alright you know what to do, each of you stand at a cardinal point of the seal." when each clone took a position he continued "Now we must all time this exactly if even one of us is off it won't work so on the count of 3 we'll start the seals…1…2…3!"

At three all four beings ran through fifty hand seals in a blur that only a master of the sharingan could catch a glimpse of. On the last seal all four beings slammed their hands down on a part of the seal in front of them. Two things happened the three clones disappeared in a puff of smoke and a big black scroll with the kanji for fire on it sat in the middle of the seal on the floor.

"That was amazing Jiji! Do it again!" said an excited childish voice said

Sarutobi turned surprised eyes to the voice "Naruto-kun how long have you been awake?" he asked panting a little

"Right before you slapped the ground and those extra yous disappeared" he said

Chuckling slightly Sarutobi reached into his robes and pulled out a food pill. After eating the pill he took a deep breath already feeling most of his chakra returning. He then turned a picked up the scroll from the floor and went to the couch to sit next to the young blond. "How are you feeling Naruto?" he asked already dreading the answer.

Naruto gave a shrug of his small shoulders and look at his Jiji with a sad smile "I'm fine Jiji I'm used to it by now"

Sarutobi knew he didn't want an answer to that question "Naruto-kun this scroll I hold in my hands, is my apology for the life you have suffered here in the village. Before you interrupt I want to explain what I mean. A six year old child should not be used to waking up from repeated beatings from a mob. Nor should they be forced to live alone or withstand looks of anger and hatred. Naruto six years ago a terrible disaster struck this village the disaster was the Nine tailed fox. The fox killed a lot of people that day and nearly destroyed the village in a single night"

"I know that Jiji you've told me this story before" said a confused Naruto "The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself killing it"

"The Nine tailed fox was a chakra construct it had no life to end. The Fourth Hokage couldn't kill such a being so he sealed it away"

Now Naruto wasn't stupid by any means. He could put two and two together and get four, the isolation from the other villagers, the looks, the beatings. "So he sealed it in me. Why me? Out of everyone in the village, why did he choose me?" he asked on the verge of tears

Sighing the Hokage walked to his desked and retrieved a framed picture from one of the drawers and brought it back to Naruto. "This is a picture of the 4th Hokage and his wife" the old man said handing the picture to Naruto.

Naruto turned the picture around and gasped at the sight. In the picture was a man with his wild blond hair and blue eyes standing behind a woman with deep red hair and violet eyes. They were both smiling softly at the camera and the woman had a noticeable swell in her stomach.

"These are your parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze. Kushina was the jinckurikki of the Kyuubi before you were" he stopped there when Naruto looked at him with shock "yes it's true. On the night of your birth Minato and I took great precaution because we knew that the seal holding the Kyuubi in Kushina would weaken with the strain of child birth. I don't know the details because I wasn't there, but someone infiltrated the birthing chamber and released the Kyuubi from the seal on your mother. By the time I arrived on the scene to possibly help Minato the Kyuubi was already sealed within you and Minato was dying. His wish was for you to be seen as a hero, but the people refused to acknowledge your parents sacrifice and Minatos wish."

"Old man I'm a constant reminder of what they lost that night. It's no wonder they hate me" they were both quiet for a while before Naruto decided to get to the point of these discoveries. "You're telling me all this for a reason so what is it? Is that scroll something my parents left for me?" he asked

Picking up the big scroll the Hokage laid it across his lap before speaking "No Naruto this is not something your parents left for you. This is the villages most well kept secret and most valuable treasures. The contents within this scroll will help you become one of the most powerful shinobi ever to walk the Elemental Nations, you will even become more powerful than me someday" he said looking straight into Narutos eyes.

To say Naruto was shocked would be an understatement. He was shocked not only by what the old man said but also by the look in his eyes he had never seen that look before. "You're starting to scare me a little Jiji. Why would you give me all this power, what if I used it to destroy the village instead of help it?"

"After what I've seen this village become for the past six years they deserve every bit of your hatred and so do I. Six years ago I placed my faith in the people of Konoha to look beyond their fear and hatred of the Kyuubi and see a child with a heavy burden to bear, I misplaced my faith in so many people. By giving you this scroll I'm asking you to forgive an old man his mistakes" he said solemnly

"I'm not stupid Jiji. I know you can't be there all the time you have an entire village to look after not just one person. You were there when you could be, you tried and that counts for something so I forgive you."

"Thank you Naruto but never the less I still want you to give you this" he said pointing at the scroll in his lap.

"Okay I'll accept it but what's in it and how can it make me even stronger than you?" Naruto asked curiously

"Naruto what I'm about to reveal is a Hoakges secret. The only people who know about it are the Hokages themselves and their successors" he said standing up and moving to the center of the room. He unraveled the scroll revealing four sections of the scroll each marked with a 1, 2, 3 and 4. Like before he bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood and in each section he wrote his name and left his bloody handprint. Turning back to Naruto he said "What I'm about to do is something that should only be done in an emergency and I think your situation qualifies" after speaking he turned back to the scroll and went through the hand seals for a simple summoning jutsu and slammed his hands down on the floor. The symbols for the summoning jutsu spread out on the floor until they reached the scroll and a summoning circle appeared in each section under the numbers.

Four puffs of smoke erupted from each section of the scroll. When the smoke cleared for men were revealed.

The first man had dark tanned skin, brown eyes and long black hair. He was wearing red metal plating armor similar to samurais and black ninja sandals, on the collar of his armor was the Senju clan symbol and he was also wearing a hitai on his forehead with the Konoha symbol.

The second man had shaggy white hair, red eyes and red streaks under each eye on one on his chin. He also wore samurai armor similar to the first man only blue in color, black ninja sandals and a face guard with the Konoha symbol on the front.

The third man had brown eyes with black vertical slits beneath them, brown spiked hair and a small goatee. He wore a black full body jumpsuit with a mesh shirt beneath the top, there were gray armor plates on both shoulders and he wore a hitai with long black straps across his forehead.

The last man was fair skinned with cerulean blue eyes and spiky blond hair and two bangs that framed the sides of his face. He wore the standard Konoha jonin uniform with two bands on each sleeve, green flak jacket and a Konoha hitai across his forehead he also wore a short sleeved trench coat with flames at the bottom.

These men were the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Hokages of Konoha.

**(How pissed would you be if I stopped on a cliff hanger like that?)**

The former Hokages took a moment orient themselves before they focused on the person who summoned them.

The first to speak was Hashirama Senju the 1st Hokage "You've gotten old Saru" he said looking at his former student.

Old Sarutobi sweat dropped at hearing that out of the mouth of a man he hadn't seen in over 40 years "Thank you sensei, I've missed you too" he said sarcastically

"It's nice to see you again Monkey-Brat" said Tobirama Senju the 2nd Hokage

"Thank you sensei, It's nice to see you too" responded Old Sarutobi

"You are one handsome man" said the Sarutobi that looked at least 30 years younger than the other

"When you're right, your right who am I to disagree with you" said the Old Sarutobi

"While it is nice to see you again, If you summoned us then what's the emergency?" asked the 4th Hokage Minato Namikaze

"Hey, who's the blond brat?" asked Tobirama

"This is my successor the 4th Hokage Minato Namiikaze, Minato allow me to introduce my senseis and your predecessors the 1st and 2nd Hokage Hashirama and Tobirama Senju" the Old Hokage said formally

The three men bowed deeply to each other. When Tobirama straightened he spoke again "Nice to meet you Minato but I was actually talking about the other blond brat with his jaw on the floor and his eyes bugging out" he said pointing at Naruto over on the couch.

True to his word Narutos eyes were as big as ramen bowls and his jaw was sitting in his lap. He had been sitting like that since the smoke cleared to reveal each man. As each man was reveal his eyes got progressively larger but it wasn't until the 4th was revealed that his jaw fell open. _'He's right there! My father! How can he be there when he died 6 years ago?' _thought Naruto

"This gentlemen is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, he is the reason I've summoned you all. Naruto carries a burden all of you are familiar with"

"The Kyuubi" they all said at the same time

"What how did you know that?" asked Naruto

"I was married to the 1st jinchurriki of the Kyuubi and I've also had the misfortune to fight the beast on more than one occasion" said Hashirama

"I'm a sensor I can feel the two different energies flowing through you" said Tobirama

"I'm a sensor as well and I've spent a lot of time around the first two jinchurikkis of the Kyuubi" said the Young Sarutobi

Minato slowly approached what could only be his son and kneeled down in front of him frowning when he spotted the blood on his clothes "Like the 1st Hokage I was in love with a jinchurikki of the Kyuubi so I know what the Kyuubi feels like even sealed away. What happened to your clothes Naruto?" he asked casually.

Before Naruto could answer Old Sarutobi spoke "I will explain that but first Naruto I want to explain to you how the former Hokages are here. Do you remember when you first woke up here and you saw those copies of me before they went up in smoke?"

"Yes Jiji"

"Well those were called **shadow clones **there are many different types of clones ninja use in combat like **water clones **or **earth clones**. These four Hokages are also a type of clone they're called **blood clones. **The **blood clone jutsu **makes a complete copy of that persons' memory and can fully utilize its very own chakra network. Where most clones would disperse after a strong hit or even when there maker died these clones could live independently of their creator. There are drawbacks to using this jutsu you must sacrifice half of your blood and 90% of your chakra. When I used this jutsu I was in a coma for a week, if someone were to try to use this jutsu when they were not 100% healthy it could very well kill them which is why it's not even listed on the forbidden scroll it is only passed from Hokage to successor."

"If you recall I told you that there was a Hokages secret that only the Hokage himself and his successor knew, well that secret is that whenever someone accepts the title of Hokage they are required to perform the **blood clone jutsu** and seal it away in that black scroll they came out of. They were only to be released in case of dire emergency. The reason I released them was to give you something every child deserves and that is family and protection. Even though this is only a clone of your father it's the closes I could come to giving you the family that was taken from you."

Naruto couldn't take it anymore he jumped off the couch and rush to the old Hokage wrapped him in a hug as tight as he could and cried his eyes out. Sarutobi did his best to hold back his own tears but they rolled down his cheeks anyway. After about ten minutes Naruto had cried himself to sleep and Sarutobi returned him to the couch so he could be comfortable. With that done he turned and faced the clones of his fellow kages.

"Sarutobi what the hell is going on?" demanded the clone of the 4th Hokage. Sighing deeply the Old Sarutobi explained Narutos life up to this point. By the time he was finished the clones ran the emotional gauntlet from disappointment in the village they all vowed to protect with their lives to downright murderous. Although the 4th also had a healthy dose of shame knowing he or rather the original condemned Naruto to this existence.

"If I could I would kick my own ass from here to Snow Country" the 4th Hokages clone said miserably.

"You have an opportunity your creator will never have you can be there for him now. You can train him to defend himself, all of you can that's why I released you from the scroll in the first place. I want all of you to train him. Whoever interfered with Kushina during her child birth knew what they were doing when they released the Kyuubi. I'm afraid whoever it was is not done yet and will come after Naruto sooner or later and being trained by four kages he will have a better chance of surviving." The original Sarutobi said

"Do you even have to ask? Naruto will be the most dangerous man in the world when I'm done training him" said the Minato clone

"You mean when we're done training him" said the clone of the First "Even if he wasn't a distant relative I would still train him."

"I'm with you brother. What this village has done to a child is beyond forgiving we will make him a force to be reckoned with" spoke the clone of the Second.

The clone of the third Hokage looked his creator in the eye "If I know you and I think I do you've been killing yourself over not being able to protect him. Don't worry, I'll do what you couldn't." he said

The original Sarutobi just looked at his clone and nodded his head gratefully.

"I think it's time we leave" said the first Hokage

"Where do we go? We can't possibly train the kid in the village" stated Tobirama

"The Whirlpool village" said the Fourth "It has been abandoned for years no one would think to look for anyone there and from what Kushina told me of it, it's a solitary island surrounded by whirlpools so it's very isolated we could get some serious training done with minimum interruptions." As he spoke he made his way over to the couch Naruto rested on and gently lifted him in his arms. "I have some weapons stashed in my head on the Hokage Monument, I'll pick them up and meet you all at the border of Fire Country and Water Country in three hours, sound good?"

"We all should have similar stashes and it would be better if we split up in case we're spotted. I'll see you in three hours" said the clone of the third be he disappeared in a **leaf** **shunsin**. When the clone of the 3rd left the clone of the 4th disappeared in a flash of yellow with the still sleeping Naruto in his arms.

"Well I guess this is goodbye again Monkey-brat. Next time you see that kid he'll be able to go toe to toe with your best without breaking a sweat guaranteed" said the clone of the second before he disappeared in a **water shunsin**.

"I can tell your will of fire dimmed Saru, but with this act you are stoking it to an inferno. Goodbye my student" said the clone of First before he simply melded into the floor and was gone.

Sighing the Hokage moved to the window overlooking the village wondering what the future would bring to his village.

**(One week later Uzushiogakure)**

Currently a six year old Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze was in an open grass area in front of his four senseis about to begin his training in the ninja arts. He was wearing simple loose fitting black pants, gray kimono top with a mesh armor shirt beneath it with a black sash holding the kimono together and black shinobi sandals. He was standing at attention hands at his sides, eyes forward waiting for his senseis to begin explaining his training. He didn't have to wait long because the First Hokage stepped forward and began.

"Well Naruto I'm glad to see you're mentally ready to begin training. The coming years will be difficult. We intend to train you until you die and drop and then we will resurrect you and rain you some more" he said looking his student in the eye "We are masters of the shinobi arts you are the student. It is our job to teach you and it is your job to learn" he said in a stern but kindly tone "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes Hashirama sensei" Naruto said quickly

"Good let us begin"

And so began the training of a legend by legends.

**Year One (Naruto age 6)**

6:00am- Physical Training w/Hashirama-sensei, 10 laps around the village with 20lbs on each wrist and forty on each leg followed by 20 laps in the river

10:00am- Shower and breakfast

11:00am- **Nin**, **gen** and **tai jutsu** theory w/Sarutobi-sensei

1:00pm- Lunch

2:00pm- Basic weapons training (kunai, shuriken , ninja wire etc) w/Tobirama-sensei

5:00pm- **Fuin jutus** theories w/Minato-sensei

7:00pm- Dinner

9:00pm- Bed time

**Year Two (Naruto age 7)**

6:00 am- Physical training w/Hasirama-sensei 25 laps around the village with 40lbs on each wrist and 80lbs on each leg followed by 40 laps in the river

10:00am- Shower and breakfast

11:00am- Chakra control and strategy w/Sarutobi-sensei

1:00pm- Lunch

2:00pm- Target practice, tracking and trapping w/Tobirama-sensei

5:00pm- Beginners **fuin jutsu** w/Minato-sensei

7:00pm- Dinner

9:00pm- Bed time

**Year Three (Naruto age 8)**

6:00am- Physical training w/Hashirama-sensei, 50 laps around the village 80lbs on each wrist and 160lbs on each leg followed by 60 laps in the river

10:00am- Shower and breakfast

11:00am- Chakra control, strategy, basic academy jutsu w/Sarutobi-sensei

1:00pm- Lunch

2:00pm- Target practice, advanced tracking and trapping w/Tobirama-sensei

5:00pm- Intermediate **Fuin jutsu** w/Minato-sensei at this level you begin to create your own basic seals (storage seals and explosive notes)

7:00pm- Dinner

9:00pm- Bed time

**Year Four (Naruto age 9)**

6:00am- Physical training w/Hashirama-sensei, 80 laps around the village with 100lbs on each wrist and 200lbs on each leg and 100 laps in the river

10:00am- Shower and breakfast

11:00am- Chakra control, strategy, politics and law w/Sarutobi-sensei

1:00pm- Lunch

2:00pm- **Kenjutsu** training w/Tobirama-sensei

5:00pm- Advanced **Fuin jutsu** w/Minato-sensei at this level you should be able to identify certain level seals and unravel them (for example trap seals not a curse mark)

7:00pm- Dinner

9:00pm- Bed time

**Year Five (Naruto age 10)**

6:00am- Physical and **earth jutsu **training w/Hashirama-sensei, 500 punches and kicks with each arm and leg against a training post, physical weights replaced with gravity seals

10:00am- Shower and breakfast

11:00pm- Chakra control, **fire jutus **and **bojutsu **training w/Sarutobi-sensei

1:00pm- Lunch

2:00pm- **Kenjutsu, water jutsu **and **genjutsu **trainingw/Tobirama-sensei

5:00pm- **Wind, lightning **and **fuin jutsu **training w/Minato-sensei

8:00pm-Dinner

10:00pm-Bed time

**Year Six (Naruto age 11)**

6:00am- Physical and **earth jutsu** training w/Hashirama- sensei, 1000 punches and kicks with each arm and leg

10:00am- Shower and breakfast

11:00am- chakra control, **fire jutsu** and **bojutsu **training w/Sarutobi-sensei

1:00pm-Lunch

2:00-**Kenjutsu**, **water jutsu** and **genjutsu **w/Tobirama-sensei

5:00pm- **Wind**, **lightning** and **fuin jutsu** w/Minato-sensei

8:00pm- Dinner

10:00- Bed time

**Year Seven (Naruto age 12)**

6:00am- Sparring Hashirama-sensei

9:00am- Shower and breakfast

10:00am-Sparring Sarutobi-sensei

1:00pm- Lunch

2:00pm- Sparring Tobirama-sensei

5:00pm- Sparring Minato-sensei

8:00pm-Dinner

10:00pm- Bed time

**(Author's Note, year seven schedule is the schedule for the next three years)**

**Otofaku Gai, Fire Country**

'_I need a drink' _was the utmost thought of one Naruto Namikaze as he walked down the street towards a bar in Otofaku Gai. It's been ten years since he began his torturous training in the shinobi arts. Nine years of training under his senseis and one year of real world experience as a bounty hunter known only as Arashi. Naruto was now 6'1" tall chiseled medium build body. His blond hair that was in his youth short and spiky was now cornrowed towards the back of his head and the end of which reached between his shoulder blades and a face mask that covered everything from his nose to his throat. He was wearing a green camouflage flak jacket with a black t-shirt underneath. Over the flak jacket he wore a black sleeveless leather trench coat and both his arms were wrapped in black athletic tape from elbow to wrist and on his hands were black fingerless gloves. He was also wearing Anbu style pants with gray shin guards over black shinobi sandals.

'_I need that drink and I need it now!' _ Naruto thought with some urgency. The reason he was in need of a drink was because tomorrow he was going back to the village of his birth and offer his services as a shinobi. He promised his senseis he would give the village a chance to redeem themselves after what they did to him. He hasn't forgotten his earlier childhood and he damn sure hasn't forgiven the people who tormented him. Naruto hastened his steps towards the bar so he could try and drown out the feeling of impending doom the thought of going back to the Hidden Leaf had created.

When Naruto entered the tavern he headed straight for the bar and a bottle of sake "Bar keep a bottle of sake over here!" he said to the man behind the counter.

"You old enough to be in here son?" the man asked

"Look, don't give me a hard time. If I can't hold my liquor then I shouldn't be drinking and I would deserve whatever I got, just give me the damn bottle" he said sharply

"Whatever I'm not responsible just because you wanted to play grown up" he said sitting down a bottle of sake and a saucer.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" Naruto said forgoing the saucer and drinking straight from the bottle. After downing half the bottle Naruto felt his nerves equalize again. Scanning the bar he let his eyes drift over the other patrons. It was just the usual assortment of people found in the less reputable bars in every town. Drunks, hookers, small time crooks no one worth the hassle of getting in a fight with. He was about to turn back to his bottle when his eyes pierced the darkness of a corner table and he spotted a woman about 25 years old nursing a saucer of sake.

"She is too pretty to drink alone" he said quietly to himself before he raised his voice to the bar keep "Another bottle over" after receiving another bottle he made his way over to her table and stopped just before entering the shadows himself.

"Excuse me miss but you are way too pretty to be drinking alone" he said

The woman looked up from her saucer and stared at him with a pair of hypnotic dark eyes "I bet you say that to all the girls in dive bars like this" she said mockingly

"There's never any one of your caliber of pretty in dive bars like this. I guess I just lucked out. May I join you?"

"Sure, I wouldn't mind the company" she said with a small smile

"How about a refill?" he asked holding up the sake bottle. In response she just slid her saucer closer to him. After pouring himself a saucer full he held it up out toward the woman across from him "To new acquaintances" he toasted

"To new acquaintances" she said

**(The next morning) A/N sorry no lemon yet**

The next morning Naruto woke up to the feeling of an empty bed. Groaning he pried his eyes open only to squeeze them shut again when the first thing he saw was a beam of sunlight."Ahh.. I really hate mornings."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I actually like mornings it a chance to always start fresh" said a voice he immediately recognized from last night.

Opening his eyes once more he turned to the voice which was near the bathroom door. Taking a good look at his partner in passion from last night he was disappointed to see she was already dressed. "How'd you slip away from to get dressed? I've been told I'm a cuddler."

"It wasn't easy believe me, but I Have to go my traveling companion will be up soon and we have to get back on the road" she said

"Traveling companion? That's not a secret way of saying your husband is it?" he asked stealing glances at the door as if someone was going to charge through it at any minute

"Ha ha ha ha ha.. No I'm not married! My traveling companion is my teacher and practically raised me. It was really nice meeting you and thanks for the company last night I really needed it" she said making her way over to him were he still laid reclined in the bed she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips before she pulled away and walked towards the bedroom door" Goodbye Arashi" she said without turning back to face him.

"Goodbye Shizune" he said to the empty room.

**And that is the first chapter of many. As a reminder if you hate Godlike stories and harems do not review I'd rather not hear from you. And if you do review make it constructive.**

**P.S.- Before you ask were the clones are let me say I just used them as a tool to make Naruto stronger. They will no longer play a role in this story. I will explain what happened to them but not until the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Flee on Sight

**AN: Warning! Warning! This is a God-like Naruto story, if you do not like stories like this, than please stop here! This story is purely for my own pleasure of having Naruto stomping mud holes in people and walking them dry. **

**AN: There has been a good string of updates from my favorite stories recently and they inspired me to put out a new chapter of my own. So if I have any fans go to my profile look through my favorite stories and then write a thank you message to every author whose updated there story in the last seven days.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters**

"Halt!" a voice said sternly as Naruto was approaching the gates of his home village.

After Shizune left the room it didn't take long for Naruto to follow suit. He took a quick shower and put on what he called his work clothes, a clean version of the outfit he wore the day before. He was stopped by two guards at the gates.

The one that spoke had shaggy black hair a goat tee and a bandage across his nose and was wearing the standard Konoha shinobi outfit with his headband across his forehead. His partner standing next to him had brown hair and dark eyes. He was also wearing the standard Konoha shinobi outfit with a bandana style forehead protector.

"What's your business here?" asked the one with the bandage

"I'm a bounty hunter, I have a priority bounty for the Hokage or Ibiki Morino. It's for their eyes only." Naruto said

"Identification?"

Sighing Naruto unhooked one of the pockets of his flak jacket and retrieved his bounty hunters license to show to the guards. After both men looked over the I.D. and recorded the pertinent information it was given back to him.

"Alright Arashi-san, head to the center of the village to the Hokage Tower, tall white building with a fire kanji on it. You'll find the Hokage on the top floor." Said the bandana wearing shinobi

"Thank you" Naruto said and made his way into the village proper. He walked slowly trying to take in his surroundings as well as sort out his feelings about being back. _'Lets see, there's anger at being back here, there's resentment for making the damn promise in the first place. There's also excitement about seeing the old man again, but there's no nostalgia. It's official, I did not miss this place just one person in it' _ Naruto thought to himself.

While Naruto was lost in his thoughts he walked on auto pilot to the tower and up the stairs and before he knew it he was in front of the Hokages secretary. "My name is Arashi, I have a priority bounty for the Hokage" he told the woman behind the desk.

"Please have a seat I'll see if the Hokage can see you now." She said and knocked on the Hokages during before entering. She was back before he even had a chance to get comfortable "He can see you now Arashi-san, can I get you some tea or coffee?" she asked

"No thank you miss" he declined politely and walked past her to the office. When he entered he was finally hit with a feeling of nostalgia _'This was where it all changed for me'_ he thought looking at the couch where he laid to recover from the beating of that night to the center of the floor where his four sensei's literally popped into his life. Moving his eyes to the only other visible presence in the office he almost stopped dead in his tracks. _'It's almost like a time warp. The last time I saw this man he was 30 years younger. What a mind fuck!'_

"Arashi-san, I've heard about your exploits as a bounty hunter. I'm surprised to see someone so young with a reputation for always bringing in their target dead or alive." The Old Kage said in a measured tone. "I was told you have a priority bounty for me."

"Yes sir I do. Aside from that I have other business I would like to speak with you about. First let us get this out of the way" he said unlocking a pocket on his flak jacket and letting a scroll with a red band around it slide into his palm. "This is the head of Konoha missing ninja Aoi Rokusho" he said before retrieving another scroll from his pocket this time a green one "As further proof in this scroll is the Sword of the Thunder God, the Raijin"

Sarutobi immediately opened the green scroll to verify that it was indeed the sword of his sensei Tobirama Senju. Making a discreet hand signal an Anbu with a bear mask appeared next to the Hokage.

"Bear take this scroll" he said holding up the scroll with the red band "to Anbu HQ and have them verify the remains of Aoi Rokusho"

"Yes Sir, Lord Hokage" the Bear Anbu said before leaving in a **shunsin **

The Hokage looked back to the young man standing at attention in front of him. "That sword was worth 100 times more than Aoi Rokusho, you could have killed him and kept the sword, why turn it in?" he asked suspiciously

Naruto was not at all offended by the question having become used to no one trusting him, bounty hunters only being one step up from mercenaries. "I have too much respect for the Senju Clan to keep a family heirloom. And I really had no need of it, it's not my style. While we wait for confirmation could we move on to that other business I spoke of?"

Raising a brow at the change of subject Sarutobi didn't think it would hurt to hear the young man out. It man help jog his memory about why this boy seemed so familiar "Yes I don't see why not"

Clearing his throat Naruto said "Well what I have to say is sensitive information about myself. I would rather you be the only one to hear it for now" he said making reference to the other hidden Anbu in the room.

The Old Kage nodded in agreement before signaling his Anbu to leave the room. "So what is the business you wanted to discuss with me?" he asked when they were alone

In response Naruto simply pulled his face mask down and smiled at the way the old man's eyes bugged out "Well I wanted to see about joining the village sensei"

"Oh Kami, Naruto!" he said in a whisper

"Before we go any further you should put up a security barrier, I don't want anything I'm about to say to get to the wrong people" Naruto said

Sarutobi quickly activated a security seal under his desk and before Naruto had a chance to brace himself he was picked up in a hug that could crush a tree trunk.

*wheeze!* "Jiji can't breath!" Naruto managed to get out before he could lose consciousness

"Oh I'm sorry my boy" said Sarutobi sitting Naruto back on his feet and stepping back only far enough to get a good look at him "it's just so good to see you again, quite honestly I never expected you to come back here after what was done to you." Said the old Kage

"I promised my senseis that I would give Konoha another chance. I was taught to forgive but never forget" he said solemnly

Sarutobi nodded his head in understanding "Speaking of your senseis what happened to them after you finished training?"

"What you would expect to happen when you have four warriors in their prime in one place. They decided to end their existence in a manner fitting them, a free for all Hokage battle royal" Naruto said with a smile "I didn't stick around to view the results, I have a feeling I would have been caught in the crossfire had I stayed"

Sarutobi couldn't help but laugh at the prospect of going against both his senseis and Minato. "I would be very surprised if Uzu is still standing after that battle. So tell me about your training, tell me about yourself"

Both men moved back to their respective seats before Naruto outlined his training with the clones of previous kages "Training was what you would expect under such strong men. Grueling, tortuous, I was trained to death and beyond and every second of it was worth it. They trained me for 9 years and for the past year I've been gaining real world experience as a bounty hunter."

"Yes as Arashi, as I've said before you've quite the reputation for always bringing in your targets" the Hokage said impressed with his skills

"Yes, it was during my work as a bounty hunter that I came across some information that pushed me into the decision to come to Konoha earlier than I expected" he paused there and looked the old kage in his eyes "Orochimaru is planning to invade your village during the last round of the Chunin Exams when you host them this year." He said in a dead calm voice

Sarutobi was first startled by the look in Narutos eyes. _'Must have put him through hell before he even left the island. He wasn't kidding when he said they trained him to death and beyond'_ "How did you come across this information?" he asked back in Hokage mode

Naruto sighed and sat back in his seat "I was passing through the Land of Rice a few months ago, when I heard rumors of a new shinobi village looking for soldiers, it's called the Village Hidden in the Sound by the way. So I hung around to see what the place was about suffice it to say when I found out that Orochimaru was the Otokage I did not have a good feeling about the intentions of the village as a whole. The only reason I didn't hightail it straight away was because I wanted to first gather some information just in case I would need it later. They were prepping for something big. I was one of the low men on the totem pole so I wasn't privy to sensitive information, but a couple of wanna be jonin who couldn't hold there liquor were. They told me they were prepping for an invasion of Konoha." Naruto stopped there to let what he said sink in

Sink in it did. Sarutobis mind was going a mile a minute _'Arrangements have to be made, a full council meeting to plan a counter strike, provisions for civilians and find out where the hell Jiraiya is he's supposed to be my spymaster why didn't he know this?' _Sarutobi thought to himself

"You ok over there sensei? Because there is something else I want to get out of the way, it's about me joining the ranks. I know there is a law on the books that says as long as a citizen of Konoha was trained by a chunin ranked or higher member of the Ninja ranks then with the approval of the Hokage and sensei they can skip the academy that is exactly what I want to do." Naruto said

"How did you know that? That law is as old as I am"

"You taught me" he said simply

"I don't see a problem with that sending you to the academy would do more harm than good in your case. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah I'll be going by Arashi for the time being. I'm not ready to announce my return just yet, like I said I can forgive but I won't forget, I won't let an unprovoked attack go with serious repercussions either" He said in a cold voice to match his now ice cold eyes.

"Very well, you will be under probation for at least a year to prove your loyalty. The reason for this is if you are not under probation then the question becomes 'what makes you so special to already have my trust?' and I assume we want to avoid such questions. Would you like me to arrange a place for you live?" he asked

"That's okay I can handle that myself. "

"You know you will have the rank of genin and if you wish to be promoted then you will have to go through the chunin and jonin exams? Come to the missions' office tomorrow 10 am to receive your first mission. You'll either work solo or on an already established genin team until I can find you something permanent"

"I'll see you tomorrow then sensei" Naruto said bowing to the Hokage and making his way towards the door.

"Arashi!" Sarutobi spoke suddenly "You're going to need this"

Naruto a.k.a Arashi turned around and caught what was tossed to him and it turned out to be a head band with the leaf symbol on it and a long black strap similar to the Hokages own.

"Thanks Jiji" Naruto said smiling at the old man before he walked out

**(Outside on the Streets)**

'_First order of business is to find some food. Lets see what do I want ramen, bbq, ramen, dango, ramen, sushi or ramen? Tough choice' _He was brought out of his thoughts by someone saying his name

"Arashi is that you?" a voice said just ahead of him

"Hmm? Asuma?" he asked surpised to see the bearded chain smoker here. Asuma Sarutobi was a man he had met when he first started out in the bounty hunter business. Back then he looked kind of like a bum compared to the clean look he had now. He was wearing a standard Konoha outfit with a sash with the kanji for fire on it at his waist.

"Well never expected to meet you in Konoha of all places. You here for work?" he asked while blowing out smoke from the side of his mouth

"Actually yeah I am, I'm also here to join the ranks" he said holding up his new headband

"Well that calls for a welcoming drink. I'm buying"

"I won't be turning down a free drink"

"Come on I know a place that's close by" Asuma said leading the way past a few food stalls. It was a silent five minute walk before they came to a bar called the Wet Leaf. It was a shinobi hangout a place much like the dive bars he was used to hanging out in, it was place where if you mind your manners and your own business you could have a good time. They got a couple of bottles of sake and were about to choose a table before Asuma saw some people he knew.

"You mind if we join some friends of mine?" he asked

"Not at all, lead the way"

Asuma made his way to a table in the back corner of the room. At the table were, three people that Naruto new on sight. He never met them but knows their faces from various bingo books.

"Hey guys this is Arashi.. Arashi let me introduce-" he was interrupted before he could continue

"No need to introduce these people, this is Kurenai Yuuhi, genjutsu specialist, she has a five million dollar bounty in the Hidden Grass Village for castrating one of their top ranking jonin"

"Next to her is Anko Mitarashi, wanted in the Hidden Rock Village, 10 million alive and 5 million dead, snake summoner, poison and interrogation specialist approach with extreme caution"

"Copycat Kakashi Hatake, ninjutsu specialist said to have copied a thousand jutsu, extremely intelligent and has a bounty in Kumo for 15 million dollars for his participation in the last war and wanted in the Hidden Rock for 50 million for his participation in the war and also for being a student of the Fourth Hokage. Man, Asuma you keep some pretty famous and dangerous company" Naruto said chuckling

His recitation of their bounty sheets got a reaction out of all three at the table. Anko smirked at hearing the price on her head "Hahahaha any job worth doing is worth doing right" she said raising a cup of sake to her lips.

"I only wished I hadn't cut his balls off so quick, the next time I'll heat up a rusty, dull knife and then cut some ones balls off" Kurenai said with ice in her voice.

Kakashi simply lowered his book which was a big tell if you knew the man.

"Who's your friend Asuma he seems to know us quite well?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly

"I'm Arashi, I was a bounty hunter up until about twenty minutes ago when I joined the Hidden Leaf. It was part of my job to remember notable bounties" Naruto said shrugging away the question

"So you're new in town huh? How do you like it so far?" asked Anko

Naruto looked her in the eye "Well I've only been in town a short while but everything I've laid my eyes on is absolutely breath taking" he said making Anko blush slightly

"Arashi? As in the bounty hunter? I've heard of you they call you the Perfect Storm, because of your perfect bounty record" Kakashi said jumping into the conversation.

Chuckling sheepishly Naruto scratched the back of his head and eye smiled to the people at the table "I'd rather have a much cooler name than 'Perfect Storm' with that kind of name there's a lot of pressure to succeed" he said looking off in the distance as if seeing the future " What happens when I fail, I'll be mocked and ridiculed, then I'll start drinking heavily to hide the hurt and when booze doesn't work I'll turn to drugs, my job performance will steadily decline and I'll get ridiculed even more. When the booze and drugs refuse to work I'll turn to women to help hide the pain in a few hours of mutual ecstasy. That will last a few years until the right woman comes along and sets me back on the right path only for an old enemy to surface and kill her in an act of revenge. We clash in a battle of epic proportions and when the dust is cleared only the body of my enemy is left behind while I disappear never to be seen again" he said rain clouds forming over his head "I should go find the bastard who gave me that nickname, he ruined my life"

The others were stuck with their mouths open and sweat drops in the back of their heads for his rant that came out of nowhere.

Asuma coughed lightly to break the silence "Anyway I met Arashi in the capital when I was still a guardian we hung out when he was in town. So why did you decide to join Konoha I thought you were happy bounty hunting?"

"I was happy, but I figured I could be a better service to the Land of Fire in a more direct way as an official shinobi" Naruto explained

"So where in the Land of Fire where you born?" Kurenai asked

"Oh just outside of Konoha, not very far really" he said vaguely **(Technically true he was born outside of the village walls) **"So what's there fun to do around here? I officially start my shinobi career tomorrow so I want to have some fun before I'm on call 24/7"

"Well I know of a couple of places we could go to, but I have serious doubts about you keeping up with the adults" Anko said

"That sounds like a challenge to me " Naruto said standing and leaning over the table directly in her face.

"That was definitely a challenge blondie, I could drink you under the table in an hour" she said raising a sake bottle up and toasting Naruto "bottoms up brat" she said chugging from the bottle

Naruto picked up his own bottle "Yours will be by the end of the night" he said smirking and taking a drink

Anko starting choking on her drink

"I wonder Anko, are you blushing or is that red on your face from almost choking to death?" Kakashi asked casually only to crash face first into the table from a punch to the head from said red faced girl.

"Barkeep ten bottles of your best sake! Loser pays the tab" Anko challenged

"Deal" Naruto accepted

**(Soundtrack to their drinking contest)**

**Nickelback-Burn it to the Ground**

Well, it's midnight, damn right we're wound up too tight…..

I've got fist full of fifties the bottle just bit me…

Oh, that shit makes me bat-shit crazy..

We've got no fear, no doubt all in balls out…

We're going off tonight(**Hey!)** to kick out every light**(Hey!)**

Take anything we want**(Hey!)**drink everything in sight**(Hey!)**

We're going til the world stops spinning 

While we burn it to the ground tonight

We're screaming like demons, swinging from the ceilings

I've got a fist full of fifties, tequila just hit me

Oh, we got no class, no taste, no shirt, shit faced

We got 'em lined up,shot down, firing back straight crown

We're going off tonight**(Hey!)** to kick out every light**(Hey!)**

Take anything we want**(Hey!) **drink everything in sight**Hey!)**

We're going til the world stops spinning 

While we burn it to the ground tonight

Ticking like a time bomb, drinking 'til the night's gone

Get your hands off this glass, last call, my ass

Well, no chain, no lock and this train won't stop

We got no friend, no doubt, all in balls out

We're going off tonight**(Hey!)** to kick out every light**(Hey!)**

Take anything we want**(Hey!) **drink everything in sight**(Hey!)**

We're going til the world stops spinning 

While we burn it to the ground tonight

**(Lemon)**

Naruto and Anko were stumbling through Ankos apartment door in a frenzy of kissing and groping each other. "Mmmm do you mmm think that mmm they will mmmm be upset mm we stuck them mmmm with the bill?" Naruto asked between kisses.

Moaning as Naruto moved from her lips to sucking on her nipples through her shirt she said "They're..oh! used to being stuck with the bill with me"

Zzzzip! There goes Narutos flak jacket. Fwoosh! There goes Ankos trench coat.

"Come on blondie, lets see if you really have staying power" Anko said grabbing Narutos hand and leading him into her bedroom. In a matter of minutes they were rolling around naked on Ankos bed each one trying to come out on top of the other. Naruto ended up on top and moved from her lips to the side of her neck pressing his tongue into the nerve cluster between her shoulder and neck. There was a muscle with a nerve running through it that usually got a woman juicing like never before.

Taking her shivers as a good sign, Naruto slid his hand down her stomach and right to her moist pussy lips. Spreading her folds he immediately pushed a finger into her core while at the same time using his thumb to massage her clit."Oh my Kami that feels good!" Taking her moaning as another good sign Naruto added a second finger to her pussy and massaged her clit just a little rougher, it wasn't long before she came quite vocally with a shriek of pleasure and wetness all over his hand.

"Your delicious Anko" he said softly while licking his fingers and staring her in the eyes.

"My turn" she said smiling seductively before she rolled Naruto on his back and began kissing down his rock hard chest and 8 pack abs. She didn't stop until she got to his cock that was standing tall and straight like a proud shoulder. She began by slowly licking the base, working her way up with little flicks of her tongue. Naruto reached past her arm and began gently stroking Ankos magnificent breasts causing her to moan around his length in her mouth."Ohhh Kami that feels good!" Naruto moaned as she took his entire length in her mouth and down her throat. He looked down to watch the purple haired beauty slowly and repeatedly engulf his dick from tip to base, before she changed up the tempo and began bobbing her head up and down his length in rapid succession.

Thankfully she went back to deep throating him at a slow pace and Naruto took that opportunity to reach around and drag her ass closer to him to reach between her legs a began stroking her moist folds again eliciting another moan from her. When he felt Anko shuddering slightly he pulled her off his cock with a wet pop laid her beneath him and entered her in one deep thrust were there pelvis bones met getting a moan of pleasure and a gasp.

Naruto tried very hard not to concentrate on the fact he was fucking the hell out of one of the hottest women he had ever met so far. He could feel his balls warning him that he was going to explode soon so he did what he usually did to stave off his orgasm he mentally went through hand seals . That always got him to back off.

Anko was meeting him thrust for thrust for the moment, so Naruto hooked her left leg over his elbow and for the next five minutes switched between slow measured strokes and a rapid pounding that had the sound of flesh echoing through the room. That really got her going, Anko let out screaming orgasm that was surely heard throughout her complex.

He stopped to let her catch her breath, he wasn't even winded yet. He looked down at the purple haired woman beneath "You okay Anko-chan?"

Anko was panting slightly and looked at him like he had to heads "Of course I'm alright you think a couple of great orgasms are going to put me to sleep. You need more than that for me to call it quits"

The smirk on Narutos face could be considered pure evil "Good because I'm just getting started and we have all night" he said sliding back into her

Anko gasped with pleasure when he was fully seated within her but then what he said kicked in she looked up at him with pleading eyes "Oh Kami! Have mercy!"

"Not hardly" he said gruffly

This time he kept her on the brink of orgasm without ever letting her have a release. He would pound into her until he felt her pussy walls begin to tighten around his manhood and then he would slow down to slow methodical strokes. This kept on for the next hour until Anko was on the verge of hysteria beneath him begging to let her come. Feeling his own build up Naruto pounded into to Anko for all he was worth, she came with a scream that definitely made it out of the apartment complex, Naruto wasn't far behind as her pussy gripped his cock and he came with a toe curling emptying of his balls into her snatch.

Naruto rolled off of Anko and laid next to her trying to catch his breath "How you doing Anko" he asked panting slightly.

"Zzzzzzzz" was her only response

Naruto smiled to himself _'I might actually like it here'_

**(Six Months Later)**

"Ah man I'm so bored!" Arashi complained out loud for anyone to hear. It's been just over 6 months since he entered into the service of Konoha and it's been just over 6 months of a living hell. Well not complete hell, Anko has been a continuous bright spot for him. But other than Anko it's been errands for the Hokage, chores for the civilians, and training. He's on his way to the Hokage now after receiving word that he wanted to see him. Deciding to forgo the long walk he used the **shunshin jutsu **to appear directly at the outer door of the Hokages office. He was about to knock when he heard a loud "Enter"

"You sent for me Hokage-sama?" he asked

"Yes I did Arashi" the Hokage said looking up from is paperwork "I've found a team for you, it's a brand new genin squad that just graduated the academy, one of the members had a nervous breakdown after the capture Tora mission and now refuses to leave his home so that leaves an opening for you" he explained

Naruto bowed his head in a moment of silence for whoever that poor bastard was. He himself had to catch Tora at least 10 times in the last 6 months by himself and if he had to catch that thing again he would not be responsible for his actions."So whose team am I on? I know that the only new squads belong to Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi. So who is the lucky winner?"

"That would be Kakashi. I have some more good news for you. Kakashi put in for a c-rank mission before he discovered his students mental issues, they should be waiting at the East Gate for you right now. I know being cooped up in the village has been grating on you so take this chance to stretch your legs"

Naruto eye smiled at the old man "Thank you Hokage-sama, it'll be good to travel again. If they're waiting I better get going" he said making his way to the door.

**(East Gate)**

"Kakashi-sensei what are we waiting for? We were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago" questioned one pink haired impatient kunoichi named Sakura Haruno. She was standing next to an equally impatient Sasuke Uchiha. **(There both wearing canon outfits, I got lazy this far into the chapter)**

"We are waiting for your new teammate, he should be arriving soon so just be patient a little longer" he said with his nose in his favorite book. Tazuna the man they were to escort on this mission just leaned against the gate seemingly without a care in the world.

"No need to wait any longer I'm here" Naruto announced from on top of the guards shack to the side of the gate. Tazuna, Sakura and Sasuke were visibally surprised by the sudden appearance of another human being.

'_Where did he come from?' _Sakura thought frantically

'_Damn it! I didn't even know he was there until he spoke'_ Sasuke thought mad at himself for dropping his guard.

Tazunas response to the sudden appearance was to reach for his jug of sake and take a swig to steady his nerves.

"Well since we're all here, because Kaito is unable to continue his career this is his replacement Arashi, Arashi this is Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. The man leaning on the gate is Tazuna the bridge builder, it's our mission to get him back to his country of Wave and protect him while he finishes his bridge. We can save the proper introductions for later we're already behind schedule we should get going" Kakashi said turning a moving towards the gate

"Well, it's nice meeting the both of you I hope we can work well together" Arashi said and followed Kakashi out the gate. Sakura and Sasuke followed behind the two after that very brief introduction.

The new team seven was currently walking in the diamond formation. Arashi was at the front having more experience than the other two and there by being more able to spot an ambush or enemy shinobi. Sakura and Sasuke were to the left and right of Tazuna who was in the center with Kakashi bringing up the rear.

An hour after quiet traveling Sakura decided to break the silence and try and get some information on her new masked teammate. "So Arashi-san I don't recall seeing you in the academy how long have you been a shinobi?" she asked. Sasuke broke himself out of his brooding enough to listen in on the conversation, because even though he was curious he would be damned before he actually asked any questions himself.

"Well officially only about six months but I was a bounty hunter before joining Konoha" he replied

"What was that like?"

"It was okay, I wasn't tied down to one place and I could take any job I wanted too or refuse a job if I wanted too with no consequences"

As they were talking Arashi was constantly surveying his surroundings never dropping his guard as he was taught which is why he caught the very pitiful genjutsu disguised as a puddle and held up a hand calling a halt to the walk.

"That's not a very good cover. It hasn't rained in at least a week, you would have had better luck disguising yourselves as a puddle of piss" Arashi said much to the confusion of 3 out of the other four people there.

Up out of the puddle rose two men in tattered cloaks, both men had breathing masks on and headbands from the Hidden Mist village. They were also wearing iron clawed gauntlets connected to each others hand by a shuriken chain.

"Very funny blondie, now why don't you hand over the old man and I give you my word to kill you quickly" the one on the right said

"The Demon Brothers, Meizu and Gozu, chunin level missing nin from the Hidden Mist. Why don't you two give us the name of whoever hired you and I give you my word that you'll spend less time in the Torture and Interrogation division than necessary" Kakashi said casually as he walked up to the front of the formation his book nowhere in sight.

The Demon Brothers shared a brief glance before they both said "No deal" and attacked.

"Arashi, Sasuke take them!" Kakashi ordered

The brothers separated to extend the shuriken chain attached to their gauntlets and rushed forward to wrap it around the two genin who met them half way.

Arashi quickly summoned a shuriken and infused it with wind chakra and threw it at the chain connecting the two together, the chain was cut cleanly in half, Arashi put on a burst of speed and appeared in front the brother that had spoken.**(I'm just going to name this one Gozu)**

Gozu only had one thought before he felt an explosion of pain then nothing _'Fast!'_

Naruto grabbed the back of his opponents head and pulled it down while performing a jumping knee strike to the face. Gozu was lifted off the ground and thrown back by the power behind the attack, before gravity could do its job Arashi appeared above the still floating Gozu and hit him with a heel drop to the stomach driving Gozu into the ground and creating a small crater.

"Brother!"

"You should worry more about yourself" Sasuke said appearing next to the distracted Meizu and delivering a bone cracking kick to his ribs that sent him head first into a tree knocking him unconscious. Both fights took less than five seconds.

Kakashi was eye smiling at his two students as he tied the two unconscious brothers up "Very good both of you, no hesitation and you exploited their weaknesses. Now Tazuna-san" he said dropping the smile and leaking very mild killing intent "you mind telling me why you're important enough to have chunin level ninja after you?" After listening to Tazuna stammer his way through his story Kakashi put the fate of the mission to a team vote.

"It's up to you guys if we continue or not. This mission will only get more difficult from here on out" he cautioned

"That's true, The Demon Brothers are known associates of Zabuza Momochi if these two are here then he's probably going to be the next obstacle we come across, I'm in" Arashi said

"So am I, this is my first mission outside the village I refuse to have an incomplete on my record" Sasuke said

"I'm going too" _'If Sasuke-kuns going so am I'_

"Then its decided, Tazuna we'll finish the mission and protect you and your family to the best of our abilities" Kakashi said

"Thank you, thank you all so much!"

**AN: Next chapter, wave mission and start of the chunin exams. Some things you should know, Naruto arrived in Konoha six months before the start of canon, I did this so he could establish himself in the village and be eligible to go on the wave mission of course. If you can get past this chapter with the Arashi and Naruto name flip flop in the next chapter I'll just refer to him as Arashi until his identity is made known to everybody. **

**AN2: I have a small challenge to anyone willing to take it up. At the moment I'm not confident I can do A Kage Battle Royale justice so if anyone out there would like to write a one shot on the fight you are more than welcome. I'll probably be doing one myself but it will be further down the line for me. It's up to you who is the last man standing.**


	3. Chapter 3

Flee on Sight

**AN: Warning! Warning! This is a God-like Naruto story, if you do not like stories like this, than please stop here! This story is purely for my own pleasure of having Naruto stomping mud holes in people and walking them dry.**

It was a tense group of five people making their way out of a rowboat onto the main island of Wave Country. Knowing they could be attacked at any moment by someone of Zabuzas caliber had everyone on full alert throughout their travels.

The group had resumed the diamond formation with Arashi and Kakashi switching positions with Kakashi on point and Arashi watching every ones back. It was a silent walk even Sakura kept her silence after the ordeal with the Demon Brothers. A rustle in the bushes to the right of the formation had every one tensing even further ready for whatever was to come next. Sasuke was the first to react launching a kunai in the direction of the noise.

"Arashi, check it out" Kakashi ordered

Summoning a kunai from the storage seal on the palm side of his right hand glove Arashi approached the bush cautiously. Looking beyond the bush Arashi relaxed slightly as he saw the kunai stuck in a tree just above the head of a scared white rabbit. He picked up the rabbit and kunai and went back to the group.

"Just a rabbit, here's your kunai" he said handing the weapon back to Sasuke who put it away without a word.

"Hmm? The fur of the rabbit is all wrong for this time of year. It should have a brown coat, this animal was raised indoors" as soon as Kakashi finished speaking a very audible whistle could be heard. "Get down!" Kakashi screamed before dragging Tazuna to the ground with him.

In a blur of motion a massive sword flew over their heads and imbedded itself in a tree on the other side of the road they were traveling on. A moment after the sword was lodged in the tree a figure appeared on the handle.

He was fairly tall muscular man with pale skin, short spiky black hair, brown eyes and almost non-existent eye brows. White bandages covered the lower half of his face and he had a head band turned sideways on his head. He had no shirt on just a thick leather strap most likely used to carry his massive zanbantou. He also had on baggy striped pants, arm and leg warmers.

"Well… well… well if it isn't Copycat Kakashi. When I saw you I knew why the Demon Brothers failed. I'm surprised to see you toting these three brats along with you" the still unnamed swordsman said mockingly.

"Zabuza Momochi 'Demon of the Bloody Mist', to be honest with you the only thing I did to the Demon Brothers was tie them up, these two brats as you call them" he said gesturing towards Arashi and Sasuke "took care of them like they were Academy students" Kakashi said back smugly.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes on first Sasuke and then Arashi before dismissing them "Hmpf! Don't make me laugh Kakashi. Why don't you hand over the old man and I'll do you the favor of letting your students leave with their lives"

Sasuke was clenching and unclenching his fists in anger, first at the meaning less talk going on between the two and then at being so casually dismissed _'Who the hell does this guy think he is? Doesn't he know I'm from the Elite Uchiha clan? I'll show this bastard not to dismiss me!_' he was about to charge him when he was brought up short by Kakashi's voice.

"Stay in formation Sasuke! He is beyond your skills at the moment" Kakashi said never taking his eyes of Zabuza.

"The great Kakashi Hatake playing babysitter to a bunch of wet behind the ears twerps, how the mighty have fallen" Zabuza said

"What about your own student Zabuza?" Arashi asked speaking for the first time since Zabuzas appearance.

Zabuzas eyes widened in surprised briefly before he returned to a neutral expression. The shock was not missed by Arashi or Kakashi.

"What student are you talking about boy?" Zabuza asked in a condescending tone

"The one who left the scent of medicinal herbs on the fur of this rabbit" he said holding up the animal he hadn't let go since he picked it up "the same scent of medicinal herbs being carried on the wind in our direction from about 50 yards to our right" he said matter factly.

Zabuza was shocked that this brat had pin pointed Hakus position on scent alone. _'Who is this kid?' _

'_If I can't fight him, his student will have to do' _Sasuke thought before he took off into the trees in the direction Arashi had indicated his opponent would be in, ignoring Kakashi and Sakuras shouts.

'_Stupid fucking, angst ridden little bastard! If he survives I'll kill the little shit myself' _Kakashi thought to himself.

Chuckling to himself Zabuza grabbed the rest of the groups attention "Don't worry I doubt if he is out right killed, if you get past me you might have a chance to save him, so how about we get started?" he said disappearing from the tree with his sword and reappearing standing on a nearby river already finishing a handseal **Hidden Mist jutsu. ** After announcing his jutsu a thick mist rolled in from the river and trees. Completely obscuring every ones view.

Zabuzas voice was projected throughout the mist "Eight points on the human body that guarantees death larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, sub-clavian artery, kidneys and heart which one should I aim for?"

As he was naming the spots he was also increasing his killing intent by the time he got to the heart Tazuna was sweating bullets and was moments from passing out. Sakura wasn't far behind him.

'_I don't want to die! I can't take this it feels like my lungs are about to explode! I have to end this now!' _with those frantic thoughts Sakura reached for a kunai in her weapons pouch ready to end her torment, when someone stayed her hand. She followed the gloved hand into the piercing blue eyes of Arashi.

"You can get through this Sakura the only way to counter killing intent is with some of your own. Imagine Zabuza just said 'Sasuke was gay'" Arashi stepped back and nodded his head as a fire was lit in Sakuras eyes as she released enough killing intent to take her mind of killing herself.

"Good job both of you. Now enough with the hide and seek Zabuza" Kakashi said

"Your right, that is enough because this game is over" Zabuza said looming up behind Tazuna with his sword above his head about to bring it down on the startled bridge builder "You're finished!" he said bringing his weapon down.

**SQUELCH!**

Drip…drip... drip "**Water clone!**" Kakashi exclaimed as Arashi pulled Tazuna and Sakura out of the immediate area of combat so they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire.

"You didn't think it would that easy, did you Kakashi?" Zabuza said appearing behind Kakashi cutting him in half only for the body to disperse into water. "What!" he said surprised before he stilled as he felt a knife at his throat.

"I didn't expect it to be easy Zabuza but apparently you did" Kakashi said appearing behind the startled swordsman with his Sharingan eye exposed. Zabuza turned slightly to look at him.

"Ah the Sharingan, you copied my jutsu even through the mist. I'm honored you have the need to use it."

"Good you can take that honor with you to the afterlife" Kakashi said and stabbed Zabuza in the throat only for it to be another **water clone**.

Zabuza came out of the foliage in a burst of speed prepared to kick Kakashi into the river when his leg was blocked by a forearm and his ankle was grabbed in a vice like grip. He had enough time to be surprised at the fact that the blond brat was the one to block his attack before Kakashi delivered a side kick square to his chest that sent him skidding along the ground and into the river himself.

"I was wondering when you would come out of hiding, I was about to come in and get you" Arashi said

"How did you know I was hiding?"

Tapping his ear slightly "**Water clones **don't have heartbeats" he said simply.

"You're starting to be a real pain in the ass boy" Zabuza growled out before getting to his feet and going through a chain of handseals as Kakashi appeared before him.

Kakashi was also going through handseals. They both finished at the same time announcing their jutsu.

"**Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu"**

"**Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu"**

The two massive water dragons clashed together and fought for dominance briefly before they both dispersed. "Is that all you can do is copy me like a damn monkey!" he yelled in anger. That moment of anger caused him as Arashi took it as an opportunity to appear next to a startled Zabuza with a bo staff swinging it into his arm.

**CRACK!**

The sound of a broken bone could be heard throughout the clearing as Zabuza was launched into a tree. "AHHH!"

Arashi was running across the water about to finish the fight with an overhead strike to crush Zabuzas skull when he pulled up short to avoid senbon needles that were thrown at him.

Appearing next to Zabuza was what appeared to be a Mist Hunter Ninja if the mask was anything to go by. "This is not over Konoha ninja" a soft voice behind the mask said before Zabuza was scooped up and they both left in a water **shunshin.**

"Damn it they got away, Kakashi-sensei, how you doing?" Arashi asked as he made he was back to the shore where Kakashi was already waiting.

"Better than I expected after uncovering the sharingan, it drains my chakra faster than I would like. Anymore big jutsu after that water dragon would have had me laid out with chakra exhaustion." He said before turning to Tazuna "Even though they're gone I'm not comfortable out here in the open. We'll collect Sasuke then make our way to Tazuna's home."

**(Later that night)**

After arriving at Tazunas home and being introduced to his family, his daughter Tsunami was a beautiful woman in her late 20s with long black hair and soulful dark eyes. His grandson Inari was brooding child of about 8 or 9 with black hair covered with a white bucket hat, dark eyes, green overalls with a yellow shirt beneath it. When everyone was introduced they gathered in the living room where Sakura was currently tending to Sasukes wounds minor though they were. When we found him he looked like a porcupine with senbon needles sticking out all around his body, he even had a few stuck in his ass.

"First of all, Sasuke if you ever run off on your own again without orders from me the next we have a mission outside the village I'll send you back to the Academy for remedial classes on team work do you understand?" Kakashi said in a no-nonsense tone

"Hn" was Sasukes reply before he was hoisted in the air by his pissed off teacher by his throat.

"You left the formation and left an opening that could have caused us the client's life. If the civilian council didn't kiss your ass you would be bounced from the ranks for a stunt like that. I will not pander to your already massive ego and superiority complex you will either follow orders or you will not survive in the field with me" Kakashi growled out "and when I speak to you, you will open your mouth and respond with words, you will not grunt at me like I'm one of your fucking fans. Do you understand me genin?"

"Ye..s s..ei" Sasuke said as clear as possible

"What!"

"Yes Sensei!" came Sasukes strangled voice before Kakashi dropped him and moved back to his seat while Sasuke took greedy gulps of air.

"I apologize for that scene. Anyway we're not done with Zabuza and his tagalong yet. They managed to get away but with Zabuzas broken arm he won't be combat ready for quite some time unless he calls in reinforcements. Before that happens we are going to track him down and finish what we started and Gato as well. Before all that though Sasuke tell me how Zabuzas student fought"

Coughing slightly "Long range fighter" Sasukes voice came out almost as a whisper "He kept to the trees and surrounding bushes and launched senbons from my blind spots, he's fast but he never used any jutsu so I don't know what element he uses."

"Alright get some rest, tomorrow Sasuke, Sakura I'll be upping your training, Arashi you'll go to the bridge with Tazuna and guard him until I relieve you"

"Yes sensei" was the reply from the three genins before they all moved to the stairs to their designated rooms.

**(The Next Day)**

"Okay now the training I have in mind is a chakra control exercise it's called tree climbing, The point of this exercise is to channel chakra in to the soles of your feet and stick to the surface of the tree." After explaining Kakashi approached a tree in the wooded area where he had gathered Sasuke and Sakura first thing after breakfast. He stopped in front of a fairly tall tree and made the ram handseal, after finding the correct amount he placed one foot then the other on the base of the tree and began to walk up it as if walking on the ground.

Both Sasuke and Sakura gaped at this display. "Chakra control is one of the most important and fundamental skills a ninja can possess. For example if you take two people with an equal amount of chakra reserves and had them perform the same jutsu, I guarantee that the person who has better control could use that same jutsu more than the person who just poured chakra into it. A person with great chakra control can also use it to enhance other things like their speed or even their strength" After the explanation Kakashi jumped out of the tree and approached his students "Any questions?"

"Why isn't Arashi-san here for this training?" Sakura asked

"I know he hasn't been on the team long and I should have had Arashi introduce himself properly but there hasn't been an opportunity, so I'll tell you a little about him. Arashi was trained outside of the village, he was born in the Land of Fire and prior to joining Konoha six months ago he was a successful bounty hunter. He is beyond this level of training and frankly the only reason he is here now is to gain experience working on a team. If you want to know more than that you will have to ask him. Now approach a tree and get started mark your progress with a kunai" he said pulling his favorite book out of his hip pouch and walking over to a nearby stump to get some reading in. "A word of advice too much chakra and you'll be blown off, too little and you won't stick at all"

It wasn't even ten minutes later that a voice of excitement sounded throughout the clearing.

"Hey Kakashi sensei, this doesn't seem so hard" Sakura said from her spot about 30 feet off the ground sitting on a branch.

"Very good Sakura, now that your break is over complete the exercise and get to the top" he said pointing towards the canopy.

Sakura looked towards the top of the tree and fought back a shiver at the height "Yes sensei"

"When you reach the top I want you to practice running up and down the tree until you can't do it any more then take a break a continue running, the reason it was so easy for you is because your reserves are small the continuous exhaustion will build up your reserves. Sasuke instead of a running start lay down at the base and place your feet on the trunk and find the right amount that will allow you to stick to the tree and then go from there"

**(A Week Later)**

It has been a week since the Konoha ninjas and their client arrived in Wave. Things have been mostly quite with no sign of Gato or Zabuza. Sakura and Sasuke have both completed the tree walking exercise and were now in rotation with Arashi as body guards for Tazuna. Kakashi was trying to think of a way to track down Zabuza and his accomplice. While all this was going on there was also a very tense atmosphere whenever Inari, Tazunas grandson was around he just seemed to suck all the positive feelings out of the room. All the tension came to a head one evening at the dinner table.

"Why do you try so hard? You'll never beat someone like Gato, he's too strong and you're stupid for even trying"

Arashi turned toward the speaker which turned out to be Inari. "So what does that make your grandfather? Is he stupid for trying to stop Gato? I don't think so, I think that makes him damn courageous to put his life on the line for his home and for his family. He's doing a hell of a lot more than you are."

"What do you know? You don't know what it's like to live here. If you go against Gato you're just going to die like everyone else!" Inari screamed with tears in his eyes.

"I'm tired of hearing your mouth! You think you're the only person to suffer. Try being poisoned, beaten and stabbed on a damn near daily basis. When you weren't being attacked you were being glared at or ignored until the next time someone wanted to vent their frustration out on you. What about your grandfather you don't think he suffers from the fact that every time he leaves you two alone it might be the last time he sees you. You don't think your mom suffers the same way. They suffer but unlike you, your mom still finds the strength to encourage Tazuna to do the right thing. Your nothing but a coward and I'm tired of looking at you" with that said Naruto used the leaf **shunshin** to leave a stunned and silent audience.

"_It is him. Why wouldn't the Hokage tell me he came back?"_ Kakashi thought to himself.

**(With Naruto in the woods)**

"That damn brat making me lose my control like that. Fuck it **Shadow clone jutsu!"** out of the smoke of the jutsu popped about one hundred clones "Alright guys lets burn off some of this energy"

"You got it Boss! Attack!"

"Bring it!"

**(The next morning)**

Arashi suddenly sprang awake the next morning, it took him a moment to realize he was holding a struggling figure in an arm lock submission hold. He couldn't see a face because his legs were stretched across the face of the person, adding a little more pressure to the hold he growled out "Who are you?"

"I was just collecting herbs when I saw you sleeping, I was just going to wake you" hearing the rushed explanation as well as the soft voice Arashi immediately let the person go. Sitting up he got a good look at the person whose arm he almost broke. He couldn't tell if it was a very feminine guy or a very beautiful girl. Long straight black hair, brown eyes and a choker around the neck. A low cut pink sleeveless kimono and light brown sandals. While Arashi was studying his mystery guest that person was also rethinking approaching the masked shinobi.

'_Kami my arm's on fire! What was I thinking approaching him, if he can keep up with Zabuza-sama, then he is indeed very formidable' _were the thoughts of the stranger. "I'm sorry for startling you, but it's a very dangerous time in Wave right now, I'm Haku by the way"

"Arashi, sorry for that but it's kind of a reflex" he said gesturing toward the arm Haku was flexing trying to get rid of the tingling sensations "So you said you were out here collecting herbs, you shouldn't venture out alone right now, like you said it's a very dangerous time."

"I usually avoid trouble by coming out in the early morning. I better get back to my collecting" said the now named Haku

"Look since I'm the reason you spilled your herbs why don't I help you collect some more? It'll go a lot faster." Arashi offered

"Thank you, for your kind offer" Haku said smiling a little. They went about collecting various herbs when Haku decided to break the silence "So I noticed your headband you're a ninja right?"

"Yeah, I was out here letting off some steam last night, it was pretty late when I finally calmed down so I decided to sleep out here. So Haku how long have you lived in Wave?"

"Not long my guardian and I travel a lot and we sort of got stuck here." Haku replied

"So what does your guardian do that requires so much travel?"

Haku hesitated for a moment before an answer came to mind "He's a craftsman of a particular art that is always in high demand, I don't practice it myself so don't ask me to explain it to you"

"I hope being stuck in Wave hasn't dulled his skills. It's getting pretty late would you like me to walk you home?" Arashi asked

Haku was quick to respond "No thank you my guardian would not take it well if I showed a stranger where we were staying. Do you mind if I ask you something, as a shinobi why do you fight?"

Arashi took a moment to ponder that question "Well I guess it all started when I was a kid, I didn't have anyone for a while as a child and I always wanted to learn to defend myself, now I fight because it's all I know"

"Do you consider yourself strong?"

"Strong enough now, but I'm not nearly as strong as I want to be" Arashi answered back

"I believe if you have people to protect someone, someone precious to you then you can become truly strong"

"That's a nice belief to have and I think I already have some candidates for precious people. It was nice meeting you Haku get home safely." He said before turning and walking away.

"You as well" Haku said before doing the same.

"Wait! Haku! This is just going to bug me until I know are you a guy or a girl?"

"I'm a guy" Haku said chuckling and then laughing out loud when he noticed the paleness of the masked shinobi before he turned and continued his walk.

At Tazunas house all was quiet at the breakfast table. No one has seen Arashi or Inari since dinner the previous night. Tazuna and Tsunami were worried about the effects the young ninjas words would have on Inari. Sakura was curious about Arashis childhood. Sasuke put the whole episode out of his mind already, if it didn't involve him he or Itachi he didn't care. Kakashi was wondering how to approach Arashi with what he knew about him.

They were all pulled from their thoughts by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Coming down the stairs was Inari only he was wearing something a lot different than his usual blue overalls and yellow shirt. He was wearing what looked to be an old pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt with a black and red flannel jacket over top of it, in his hands looked to be a brand new pair of construction boots and around his neck was a white towel similar to what Tazuna himself usually wears around his neck. However the most noticeable thing about little Inari was the determined look in his young eyes. There was a fire there that neither Tazuna nor Tsunami had seen before.

Tsunami was the first to get over her shock "Inari, honey what are you wearing and where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to help grandpa with the bridge. That Arashi guy was right I haven't done anything to help, all I've been doing is acting like a coward, well from now on I'm going to do my part and help grandpa with the bridge and when he doesn't need me I'll help you around the house. No more crying and no more complaining. It's time to grow up" Inari said his voice never wavering

"There's nothing wrong with crying especially if your happy" the voice of Arashi startled everyone in the room because all attention was on Inari no one saw him enter. "Well Inari if you plan to put in a full day I suggest you eat, you're going to need your energy" following his own advice Arashi sat down at the table and help himself to some eggs, bacon and toast.**(I don't know if that's a traditional Japanese breakfast or not so please don't make an issue out of it)** Inari sat down next to Arashi and ate the same as he did.

"Kakashi-sensei, I had a little run in this morning I think you should be aware of" he paused until his sensei gave him his full attention "I came across Zabuzas accomplice or I should say his accomplice came across me asleep in a clearing this morning. I know he knew who I was but I didn't let on that I knew who he was. We spoke for a while and I have a way to track them to their hideout Kami willing it doesn't rain."

"Why didn't you just bring him here we could have interrogated him to get Zabuzas location?"

"I would have but after speaking with him, he would have taken that location to the grave. He is extremely loyal to Zabuza not like the Demon Brothers" Arashi explained.

"All right here is the plan for today Sasuke and Sakura will guard Tazuna and Inari, Arashi you leave some clones here to guard Tsunami, while we track the accomplice to the hideout, no matter what be back here no later than noon just in case we have to make any plans" After Kakashi laid out the orders for the day everyone went about their business as usual. Tazuna left to go work on the bridge with Sasuke, Sakura and Inari following behind him. After leaving Tsunami with a couple of clones in the house and a few more spread throughout the property. Arashi lead Kakashi to the spot where he encountered Haku.

It didn't take long for Pakkun, Kakashis summon dog to track Haku back to a treehouse hideout. "No doubt about it the scent is up there" said Pakkun

Pakkun was a miniature pug with brown fur, a blue vest and a Konoha headband worn on top of his head he also wore a white bandage around his right front leg. He had a deep gruff voice and was obsessed with the feeling of his paw pads.

"Thank you Pakkun you can return now" Kakashi said

"See ya Kakashi" and with that he disappeared in a cloud of smoke

"Alright lets check the surroundings for traps and meet back here in an hour" Kakahis ordered

"Yes sensei" Arashi replied and disappeared into the foliage

**(One hour later)**

"Well anything?" Kakashi asked when he returned from his own recon to find Arashi waiting for him.

"Nothing, either Zabuza is that confident in his skills even after what we did to him or he was never expecting us to come looking for him, how about you?"

"Same here, no traps of any kind not even an early warning system. I still say we approach with caution"

"What's the plan once we make contact?"

"The plan is to get to Gato, I'm guessing Zabuza knows where his main base is. If Zabuza was still part of a hidden village and getting his orders from a Kage then this wouldn't be an option, but since he's in this for the money maybe he can be reasoned with or paid more" Kakashi explained

"Okay, so how do you want to get their attention?"

"With subtlety"

Inside the tree house Haku was applying an herbal poultice to Zabuzas shoulder which he had injured after he was hit into a tree. "Zabuza-sama with one arm broken and with the damage to the other even with my skills it will be at least 3 weeks before you are a challenge to someone of Hatakes skill. If you were to fight against him in this condition you would surely die"

"And not just Kakashi either the blond brat as well!" the Demon of the Mist growled out "If we can't beat them we're going-

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as 3 kunai flew through the front window near the door and stuck in the opposite wall, Zabuza and Haku had enough time to grab his massive sword Kubukiribocho or the decapitating carving knife and race out the door as the tree house exploded.

Landing away from the debris of their hideout Zabuza and Haku looked back at the devastation "Show yourselves you bastards!"

"I thought you said you wanted to get their attention with subtlety?" Arashi groused while stepping out from the shadows of the surrounding forest.

"That was as subtle as a six foot sword being tossed at your head" Kakashi replied back

"Touché"

"You just saved me the trouble of coming to find you Kakashi" Zabuza said taking a better grip on his sword

"Don't make me call your bluff Zabuza, I didn't come here to fight I came to offer a proposition, what would you say to getting paid double what Gato offered to leave the bridge builder and his family alone?"

"You think you can just buy me to walk away? Not a chance!"

"Think about it Zabuza-san, you were at 100% last time we fought, now you can't perform jutsu and with that injury to your sword shoulder your kenjutsu will be less than effective" Arashi cut in

"Gato has the money, which we are going to get once you tell us where his main base is as well as what kind of protections he has" Kakashi said plainly

"Are you really ready to say you killed yourself for Gato and also throw Hakus life away for him too?"

Zabuza thought about his options _'Fight a battle I have no way of winning with my injuries or roll over on Gato. Too hell with it I never liked that pig anyway'_ heaving a sigh"His main base is on the North edge of the island, he has about 150 mercenaries around the clock, Gato's philosophy is quantity not quality. Gato himself is not hard to spot he looks like a goblin in a three piece suit and sunglasses. Bring the money to the place we had our first fight in the morning"

"You have a deal Zabuza"

"It was nice seeing you again Haku, sorry about the explosive tag"

"Next time try knocking on the door" Haku replied with a grin

**(Later that Night)**

After leaving Zabuza and Haku the two made their way back to Tazunas home and the meeting with Team 7 and their client. After the update on where things stood with Zabuza, Kakashi ordered everyone except himself and Arashi to stick close to the house for the remainder of the day.

It was now about midnight and Kakashi and Arashi had been studying Gatos base most of the day and it was confirmed as Gato preferring quantity over quality. Irregular and sloppy patrols seemed to be the norm. There seemed to be only three people who held any sway over the mercenaries Gato and his two samurai bodyguards. Whenever they weren't around, the men just sat around trying to out tough each other and drinking.

"So Kakashi-sensei, how do you want to do this?" Arashi asked

"I think a couple of well-placed explosive notes a genjutsu here and there and liberal use of the sharingan will have the desired effect on these goons outside. You handle Gato, as we have seen the only people allowed inside is his two bodyguards so you shouldn't have any trouble, all the same be careful. Wait for my signal and then make your way up to Gato" Kakashi said

"Yes sensei" Arashi replied before he disappeared in the shadows

**(With Gato)**

Gato was currently sitting back in his expensive leather chair, behind his expensive wooden desk smoking and drinking the finest cigar and sake money could buy. He built his reputation and empire around two human emotions, greed and fear. What one couldn't accomplish the other could. In his office with him are his two bodyguards Zori and Waraji.

Zori was a young man in his mid- 20s, he had bluish white hair and black eyes with lines tattooed beneath them. His partner Waraji was a little older with brown hair and a short beard, he also had an eye patch over his right eye.

"Alright you two once we get word on win that fool Zabuza is going to strike I want you two to go and grab the bridge builders daughter for some extra insurance, just in case the baby demon can't do his part. Bring her to the br-

He was interrupted by an explosion in the court yard that shook his balcony doors.

"What the hell was that?" turning to face the direction of the disturbance he was greeted by a figure running across his balcony about to crash through the glass doors. Letting out a girlish shriek he ducked beneath his desk with enough time to avoid most of the broken glass but also with enough time to see his two bodyguards hit the ground with a knife each protruding from their eyes.

"That's not a very good hiding spot considering I saw you duck under there" a cold voice said above him.

Gato scrambled from beneath the desk and had enough time to see ice blue eyes before a foot connected to his face and his world went black.

Arashi woke Gato from his mini nap the fastest way possible, a hard slap to the face.

"Wha.. what happened?" Gato mumbled as he regained consciousness.

"Hello Gato, you're probably wondering why you're tied face down on your desk with your pants around your ankles and your ass in the air? No it's not because I want you to get use to the feeling of prison life, it's because I want your undivided attention. You see this piece of paper" Arashi asked holding up a standard explosive note "this is what we shinobi call an explosive note, it's pretty self- explanatory right?" he asked. Getting a nod from Gato he continued

"Good, now one of these things place in a strategic spot could level a good sized building, you currently have two shoved up your ass and they don't get more strategic then that" ignoring Gatos begging and whimpering Arashi approached the shipping magnate and knelt down until they were face to face "You only have one chance, I want the deeds and money you stole from the people of wave"

"Okay! Okay! In the basement behind the floor to ceiling map of the Elemental Nations is the vault, there are two key pads on opposite sides of the safe, the one on the left press 137-45-247 on the right 758-12-363 you have to input them at the same time" Gato said desperately

"Thank you for your cooperation" was all Arashi said before heading for the door.

"Wait! Wait! I told you what you wanted to know aren't you going to untie me?"

"I don't recall making that offer" Arashi said coldly before leaving the room. In the hallway ignoring Gatos screams he channel some chakra into the exploding tags currently in the possession of Gato, the resulting explosion sent pieces off Gato into the hallway behind Arashi and pieces through the balcony door leading outside. With that done Arashi made his way towards the basement to complete his part of the mission.

**(Two weeks later)**

The news of not only Gatos men but Gato himself disappearing overnight spread like wildfire the next day. With Gato gone and the deeds to lost homes and fishing boats turning up the Land of Wave was on its way to prosperity again. Zabuza and Haku also left after we paid them double what Gato had promised them but Zabuza refused to leave without a promise of a rematch sometime in the future. With the spare hands of the rest of Wave and a good deal of clones the Bridge of Hope was completed ahead of schedule. Team 7 now stood on the Bridge of Hope along with Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari and the rest of Wave to see them off.

"Well this is it for us Tazuna, your bridge is built and Gato's not a problem anymore. Even without Gato you're going to have your hands full getting your country back on its feet"

"Yes it's going to be a long haul but thanks to you and your team we're well on our way"

Arashi approached Inari and Tsunami who were standing slightly behind Tazuna. Smiling down at Inari and ruffling his hair a little "You know you're not so bad once I got to know you, a big step to growing up is protecting those people precious to you so keep an eye on your mom and grandpa"

Sniff…sniff "Alright I can do that"

"Ha-ha-ha don't you remember what I said two weeks ago, It's alright to cry if your happy" Arashi said eye smiling at the young boy before he approached Tsunami and wrapped the woman in a hug "He's going to be okay and I'll be back to visit as often as possible"

"Thank you Arashi-kun not just for helping my father and son but for helping me too. I hadn't realized how long I put my own life on hold before you showed me I was still a woman not just a mother and a daughter" Tsunami said blushing at some of the things they did together in the last two weeks.

"The pleasure was mutual Tsunami-chan"

"Arashi time to go!" came the loud call of his pink teammate.

"I'll be seeing you Tsunami-chan that's a promise"

Team 7 left Wave without a backwards glance and once they were on the mainland they used ninja speed to make better time back to the village. Team 7 made it back to the village in half the time it took to get to Wave.

"Halt! What's your business here?" a gate guard asked

"Team 7 returning from C-rank mission" Kakashi stated

"Proceed"

With permission to enter everyone went to the rooftops in order to get to the Hokage Tower quicker and be released for some down time. Upon reaching the Hokage Tower Kakashi turned to his team "I can handle the official report, you three are dismissed until further notice"

"Good I need a drink, I'll see you later Kakashi-sensei" Arashi said before walking off

"Goodbye Kakashi-sesei, I need a hot bath" Sakura said too tired to even ask Sasuke for a date.

"I have some training to do" Sasuke uttered before heading off to the Uchiha district

**(With Arashi) **

Arashi barely made it past the front door of the Wet Leaf before he was tackled through the doors and back into the streets by a purple and tan blur.

"Arashi-kun" Anko said in a cooing voice "It's been almost a month since we've had some fun together and I've been known to get a little mean when my favorite toys are taken away" Anko said rubbing her face against Arashis masked cheek.

"Anko give me an hour to relax and have a drink and we can have some time together, I really need a drink. Dealing with that Uchiha for a month straight is severely testing my resolve not to cut his throat and go missing nin" Arashi said

"Aww poor baby, okay you've earned your drink then its Anko time" she said pulling him up and ushering him into the bar.

The next morning Naruto and Anko were awakened by a tapping on Ankos window by a messenger hawk. Anko disentangled herself from Narutos arms **(Yes she knows)** _'He really is a cuddler'_ going to the window and retrieving the message from the bird Anko scanned it halfway before going to Naruto and giving him the message. "It's from Kakashi he says you have a team meeting in an hour" she told him.

Naruto read through the message himself then used a small fire jutsu to destroy it. "An hour to Kakashi means 4 hours in real time, I'm going to get some more sleep" he said turning over and putting action to his words.

"I have a meeting so I'm going to shower and get going I'll see you later" she said heading towards the bathroom.

Naruto was now making his way towards training ground seven across the roof tops of Konoha when he came across a strange scene below him. His teammate Sakura looked like she was trying to defuse a confrontation with some ninja he had never seen before. One was a guy in a black full body jumpsuit holding a squirming kid in his hand and a blond girl with four pig tails and a battle fan on her back _'Better back her up before she gets herself hurt'_

"Look why don't you just drop the kid, assaulting someone in a foreign village is a good way to start a whole lot of trouble over nothing" Sakura said trying to defuse the situation with this sand shinobi.

"Shut up pinkie! This brat ran into me and an apology just won't cut it"

"You better put me down or my nii-san is going to kick your ass!" the squirming boy said

"Oh is that right?" the Sand shinobi asked mockingly

"Kankuro?"

"Wait a second Temari I'm almost done here" the now named Kankuro dismissed his teammates call.

"Kankuro!" his teammate Temari said a little more insistently

"Not now Temari!"

"KANKURO!"

Kankuro turned towards Temari "What!" and froze, standing next to his sister was a ninja about six feet tall with blond cornrows. He had a face mask that started from his nose to his neck and disappeared further down beneath a mesh shirt and an open black and white camouflaged flak jacket. What froze him in place was the fact that this guy had snuck up on him and had his arm across Temaris shoulders but what had his blood freezing was the fact that the hand connected to that same arm was holding a kunai to his sister's throat.

"Arashi!/Nii-san!" came the surprised shout from Sakura and Konohamaru

"How about a trade, you put my brother down nice and gently and I won't open this pretty girls throat like a fountain?" Arashi said casually as if talking about the weather.

Temari shivered at the casual way this person said he would kill her.

"Alright just calm down" Kankuro said lowering the kid to the ground

"I'm perfectly calm, now get away from him" he said taking his arm away from the girl and going over to Konohamaru. "You okay Kon?"

"I'm fine nii-san"

"Good you and your friends get back to class, we'll talk about why you felt the need to ditch later" Konohamaru and his two friends Moegi and Udon took off towards the academy while Arashi turned back to face the Sand ninja. "I would advise you to go to your hotel room and calm down from your journey, I can guarantee another attempt to assault the Hokages grandson will not go unpunished"

Kankuro paled behind his makeup at what he had almost done.

"Sasuke if you and your friend would join us down here we could all be on our way" Arashi said looking into a nearby tree.

Sasuke knew he had been spotted by his teammate long before he had even spoken to him, what surprised him was the reference to a friend _'What the hell is he talking about'_ Looking around he almost feel out of the tree when he came face to face with an upside down redhead looking him right in the face. _'Damn it! That's the second time that's happened!'_ Sasuke thought to himself before jumping out of the tree followed by the redhead who appeared in front of his teammates in a **sand shunshin**.

"Kankuro you're an embarrassment to our village for pulling such a stunt" the redhead said in a monotone voice

"I'm sorry Gaara, I was just

"Shut up or I'll kill you. I'm sorry for his behavior it won't happen again. Come on"

"Wait a second you with the gourd, who are you and what are you doing in our village?" Sasuke asked or more like demanded

"I am Gaara of the Desert here for the chunin exams. What is your name?" the now named Gaara said everything in the same monotone voice never raising or lowering it.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha" Sasuke replied like he just declared himself Kami.

"I wasn't talking to you peacock. You the blond guy what's your name?"

"Arashi and I will definitely see you in the exams Gaara-san" Arashi said

"I look forward to it" Gaara said before turning and walking away.

"Since you two aren't at the training grounds I suppose Kakashi was on time for once and I missed the meeting. What was it about?"

"He's recommending us for the chunin exams, we just have to sign these slips and turn them in at the academy tomorrow?" Sakura said handing Arashi a form.

"Ha-ha chunin exams, well things just keep getting exciting around here" Arashi remarked to himself.

**AN: I know I usually rotate my stories but this chapter wouldn't leave me alone until I put it out so here you go everyone, I hope you enjoy.**

**Review Review Review If I got paid for writing these fics then reviews would be the currency, come on people help me out of the poor house.**


	4. Chapter 4

Flee on Sight

**AN: Warning! Warning! This is a God-like Naruto story, if you do not like stories like this, than please stop here! This story is purely for my own pleasure of having Naruto stomping mud holes in people and walking them dry.**

After Arashi received his application for the chunin exams he decided to walk around the village for a while until his weekly dinner at the Sarutobi compound. It was something he had been doing since his return to the village.

He was walking aimlessly through the village when a whimpering sound brought him out of his thoughts. Stopping in his tracks and looking around he realized that he had wandered into some unknown training grounds and the whimpers were coming from a forested area behind a bunch of marked up trees probably used as targets for weapons throwing.

Following the sound he came upon a mostly all black puppy with a strip of white around its neck that looked like a collar. The puppy upon seeing him bared its fangs and got a feral look in its now noticeable all white eyes, it tried to stand up to defend itself from a possible enemy but let out a yelp and collapsed back to the ground.

"Shh… shh… easy fella I'm not going to hurt you, just relax" Arashi said in a soothing voice. Getting closer to the pup, Arashi saw why he couldn't stand up as he saw a shuriken stuck in the right hind leg of the animal. "Alright fella looks like you got a little trouble there" Arashi said still keeping to a calm tone.

Arashi inched closer so as not to startle the animal and went down on a knee beside the it. Moving his hand slowly towards the shuriken, Arashi was about to take a hold of it and pull it out when the little animal snapped his jaws at his fingers. Arashi pulled his hand back quickly and counted them to make sure he still had all his digits. Arashi looked into the white eyes of the black dog with a small glare.

"Look nobody likes pain unless you're some kind of masochist but I have to remove this and bandage it or you're not going to heal properly. Now let's try this again I'm going to count to 3 and then I'm going to pull it out so think of a happy place and grit your teeth cause it's going to happen"

Looking into the dogs eyes and receiving what he could only interpret as a nod of agreement Arashi started the countdown "1…2…3!" on three quick as a snake strike Arashi yanked the shuriken out getting a small yelp from the pup. Staunching the blood with some gauze from his vest pocket Arashi applied a quick field dressing to the wound "This will do for now, best get you to a real doctor though" saying that he picked the dog up and disappeared in a swirl of leaves to the local vets office.

Arashi reappeared outside of a medium sized white building with a wooden shingle hanging over the door that said 'Konoha's Veterinarian Services'. It was located more in the civilian side of the village for their convenience since civilians rarely had a reason to wander in the shinobi section. Walking into the building with the little dog cradled in his arms Arashi made his way to the empty front desk of the office. Not seeing anyone around he rang the little bell on the desk for service. "Hello? Got a patient for you! Is there a doctor in the house?"

Still not getting a response Arashi walked over to a door with a sign that said 'Employees Only' that lead further into the building opening the door he was met by the sound of barking and chirping so loud he was surprised he hadn't ruptured his eardrums, wincing at the noise he quickly shut the door. "They must have some kind of sound barrier set up. You must feel worst then I do with your hearing." Arashi said looking down at the dog in his arms. "Arf! Arf! Arf!"

"Alright, no need for that type of language. Brace yourself we're going back in" Arashi went back to the door and took a moment to brace himself for the noise before he opened the door and went in. He made his way down the lit up corridor peeking into each room as he went, most were examination rooms and a couple of supply closets. He was near the end of the hall when he looked into one room and stopped dead in his tracks at an amazing sight.

It was one of the most perfectly heart shaped asses he had ever laid eyes on. All he could see, all he was really looking at was that perfect ass in tight gray biker shorts, the other half of this person was inside a dog cage apparently cleaning it out. Arashi was taking in every detail when a bite on the arm from the dog he was carrying brought him out of his dream world.

"Ahem! Excuse I need some help here" he said

The person in the cage jumped at the sound of him clearing his throat and quickly backed out of the cage stood up and turned around. Arashi was once again stunned speechless for a moment. This woman was obviously an Inuzuka by the tell- tale red fang marks on her cheeks. Long brown hair held up in a ponytail with two bangs hanging down the front, round dark eyes set in the soft features of her face was remarkably beautiful, she was also wearing a black wife beater that did nothing to hide her generous c-cup breast.

"Shiro-kun!" the lady exclaimed darting forward and taking the puppy from Arashi's arms. "Oh ,Shiro-kun where have you been you poor little baby?" Arashi was completely ignored as the Inuzuka women took the pup apparently named Shiro into one of the exam rooms down the hall. Not knowing what else to do Arashi followed them to the room with enough time to catch the women consoling the injured animal.

"Does somebody have an owwie, don't worry Hana's going to fix that right up for you" the now named Hana was saying as she unwrapped the field dressing and took a good look at the wound.

"So is Shiro going to be okay?" Arashi asked

"He's going to be fine, what happened?" Hana asked the stranger.

"I was just walking around when I heard him whimpering, I found him in the woods behind some training grounds with a shuriken stuck in him. I dressed the wound and brought him here" Arashi explained. "So his name is Shiro huh?"

"It's actually Shiromaru he's a member of the Inuzuka clan and I believe we're in your debt for finding him. If left too long this wound might have been infected. Who may I tell my clan head we are indebted to?"

Arashi approached the examination table where Hana was putting the finishing touches on a new bandage for Shiromaru "My name is Arashi and from what I have gleaned from you, you are Hana Inuzuka, it's a pleasure to meet you"

Hana finished her bandage on Shiro and then took a good look at her guest. He was about 6' tall blond hair, blue eyes and indeterminate age because of the facemask. He stood tall and proud without a hint of arrogance in his posture. Hana felt a tingle go up her spine as a single word went through her mind as she looked at this man Arashi _'ALPHA'_.

"It's nice to meet you as well Arashi. Thank you again for finding and helping Shiro-kun, he's the most curious pup at the compound always wandering off somewhere" Hana said rubbing the black ears of the now sleeping animal.

"I think as long as he stays clear of the training grounds he should do okay. I have to be going Hana, I hope to see you around some time, we can talk about working off that debt" Arashi said eye smiling as he left the room.

Hana felt the tingle along her spine even more at the hidden meaning in those words "Anytime Arashi anytime"

**(Later Sarutobi Compound)**

Dinner at the Sarutobi compound is always a small family affair when Hiruzens schedule allowed it. At the small circular table right now were Arashi, Asuma, Konohamaru and Hiruzen. They were talking about a bunch of non -important things at the moment the serious talk was reserved for after dinner when Konohamaru was out of the room. They were finishing up the meal when the subject of Arashis first dinner at the Sarutobi compound came up.

**(Flashback about six months ago)**

It was a couple of days after Arashi had returned to the village when he was invited to the Sarutobi compound for dinner. He was walking next to the Hokage the long way towards the compound. Sarutobi always liked to take a walk through the village after a long day it helped to relieve the stress of wearing the hat and reminding him of why he took it in the first place. As they approached the front door Sarutobi paused to give his dinner guest a word of caution.

"I have to warn you my Grandson Konohamaru can be a little hyper at times. Try to be a little patient with him if it gets to be too much" Sarutobi said before opening the door.

Arashi followed right behind him and took a good look at the inside of the home. The front door opened into a hallway, about fifteen feet from the door was an archway that lead into a sitting area and Arashi could see a set of stairs further along the hallway leading up. Sarutobi paused in the archway to announce his presence "Konohamaru I'm home!" as soon as the words were out of his mouth smoke bombs filled the sitting area.

Jumping in front of the Hokage Arashi prepared to defend him from the surprise attack. Arashi focused his senses on the would be attacker or attackers. Hearing a whistle through the air Arashi shot his hand out and grabbed the air borne weapons. Feeling something off with them he took a quick glance and was puzzled by the weapons _'wooden shurikens, what the hell?'_ he focused back on his attacker when he heard a very childish voice shout "I got you this time Old Man!" Arashi focused on where the voice came from and saw a hazy figure in the still lingering smoke. **Leaf Hurricane!** When the figure who could only be the Hokages grandson Konohamaru jumped in the air to perform the attack, Arashi darted into the smoke.

As Arashi went into the smoke the Hokage performed a small wind jutsu to clear the room. When it was clear enough to see, he saw his grandson hanging upside down from his ankle by Arashi who was scratching his head with the wooden shuriken he confiscated from Konohamaru.

"So, I take it this is, Konohamaru, nice to meet you, I'm Arashi" Arashi said eye smiling at the upside down child.

Konohamaru sweat dropped at the nonchalant greeting "Put me down you idiot don't you know who I am?" Konohamaru screamed "Oof!" was the sound Konohamaru made as he was dropped on his head.

"Yeah I know who you are and as a member of the Sarutobi Clan you should have better manners than to scream at a guest in your home" Arashi pointed out mildly.

Hiruzen decided to step in before Konohamaru completely blew his top "Konohamaru go and wash up for dinner Arashi will be our guest tonight"

Konohamru blinked dumbly at his Grandpa before switching back to the masked shinobi while still rubbing his head. "Alright Gramps" he said before getting to his feet and leaving the room.

"Hyper isn't the right word to describe him, I would say he's more lively than hyper" Arashi said

"Aren't they the same thing?" Hiruzen asked curiously

Arashi shook his head no "One sounds like an affliction and the other sounds like a compliment"

Hiruzen decided to keep quiet on the subject and lead the young man into the dining area beyond the sitting room. It was a simple family setting, a small round table with four chairs around it. Dinner was also very simple grilled beef, rice, veggies and soup. Konohamaru came into the room and everyone took their seats and tucked into the meal. It was quiet for a few minutes before the Hokage broke the silence. "So Konohamaru how was your training today?"

"Boring ,all sensei did was talk the whole time, not once did he show us any cool jutsu. Even Ebisu sensei refused to show me any cool jutsu he said I had to master the basics first" Konohamaru said in a dejected tone.

"He's right you know without the basics you have nothing to build on. All the greatest ninja you could name were masters of basic jutsus and using their knowledge of the basics and built on them to make the best use of them" Arashi interjected.

"What would you know blondie?" Konohanaru said as he glared at across the table at the masked guest.

"I was trained by four men who could actually call themselves true masters of the shinobi arts and they drilled into me daily that to be great is to master the basics." Arashi explained "For example if someone gave you a sword tomorrow do you think just having that sword makes you a master swordsman?" he asked

Before Konohamaru could answer Arashi asked him another question "What's your dream Konohamaru, what's your goal as a ninja?"

"My goal is to defeat the Old Man and become Hokage! Ebisu sensei says with his training I'll take the shortcut to brcoming Hokage." Konohamaru exclaimed with fire in his eyes.

Arashi looked across the table at the young boy with calm eyes "First I think this Ebisu guy should be tarred and feathered and hung up naked by his ankles in the middle of the village for telling you something so stupid as to think there is some kind of short cut to the respect and power a Kage wields" Arashi said calmly "There is no such thing as a short cut to power, no amount of cool jutsu will make you Kage material. It takes a certain mental and spiritual fortitude to be a Kage. Can you imagine day after day, month after month, year after year the kind of conviction it takes to send people you've grown up with and people you've seen grow from babies to young men and women and send them out to defend the village knowing there's a possibility you will never see them again?"

Konohamaru was speechless as he listened to Arashi speak. He couldn't imagine sending Udon and Moegi out on some mission and then finding out that they had been killed he could never forgive himself if that happened. "Is that true Gramps?"

"Yes it is, being Hokage is more than being recognized as the strongest in the village. Being Hokage is asking yourself are you mentally strong enough to do what is best for the village" the Hokage said.

Konohamaru sat there in silence for a few minutes "Can I be excused?" receiving a nod from his Grandpa, he went to his bedroom to think about if he really wanted to be Hokage after all.

"Sorry about that Jiji, I didn't mean to hit him with the reality of wearing the Hat like that" Arashi said.

"That's okay Naruto-kun, I was going to explain it to him eventually, maybe I was just scared of this type of reaction and my Grandson hating me for taking away his dream" Hiruzen said sadly. "That speech sounded like the one Tobirama sensei gave me at one point when he was grooming me as Hokage"

"Yeah that's where I got it from. I got a tad bit over confident during my training sometimes. One time I claimed that as soon as I was done training I would come back here and challenge you for the Hokage title. Tobirama sensei sat me down and explained in great detail the responsibilities that come with the job" Arashi said ruefully

"Is your dream still to be Hokage?" Hiruzen asked curiously

"No, I haven't decided on a dream yet, I'll just follow the road of life and see where it takes me" he said eye smiling. "Do you mind if I go up and speak to Konohamaru?" he asked

Hiruzen shook his head no "Upstairs second door on the right"

Rising from his chair Arashi made his to the kid's room. Looking through the open door he saw Konohamaru sitting on the edge of his bed looking miserable. Knocking on the door frame to get his attention he waited for the kid to look at him "Hey Konohamaru you mind if I come in?"

"Sure" He said scooting over to make room for the blonde.

"Why do you want to become Hokage?" Arashi asked

"My name is Konohamaru, I was named after the village but no one calls me Konohamaru, people always call me Honorable Grandson. I'm not ashamed to be the Grandson of the Hokage but I just wish people would call me by my name for a change. If I was Hokage then people would see more than the Honorable Grandson of the Third Hokage. After what you said earlier it seems like a pretty selfish reason to be Hokage"

"Wanting people to know your name is not selfish at all. But there are other ways to do it besides being Hokage"

Konohamaru looked at Arashi with a confused expression "What other ways?"

"How about becoming a Sannin, they're just like Kages but better"

"How can they be better than a Kage? You're just trying to mess with me" Konohamaru said glaring at the blonde.

"No I'm not, think about it. The Sannin are said to be just as strong the Kages throughout the Elemental Nations, they're free to come and go from the village whenever they want, which means they have opportunities to always learn something new. Can you imagine the stories the Toad Sage or the Slug Princess could tell you about their travels. Now the Hokage he's always stuck in boring meetings with the council or stuck doing boring paper work. He barely as time to train and don't even think about getting laid let alone dating someone where would you find the time?" Arashi paused there because of the puzzled look on Konohamarus face.

"Why do you mean getting laid, getting laid where?"

"Ahem, ask your Grandfather after I leave. I heard from an older shinobi who was around when the Hokage first took office he said after a week he was completely gray from doing all the paper work involved with being Hoakge" Konohamaru look scared out of his wits at the thought of going gray "the point is there are other ways to be recognized besides being Hokage"

"Your right Arashi-san, I Konohamaru Sarutobi will be the first ever Monkey Sage of Konoha!" Konohamaru yelled with a renewed fire in his eyes.

"Good for you Kon, I look forward to facing you one day" Arashi said eye smiling.

"You can count on it, don't think I forgot how you defeated me earlier from now on we're rivals!"

Unknown to both Konohamaru and Arashi, Hiruzen had listened in on their talk and though he perked up when Konohamaru declared he would be The first Monkey Sage he stilled walked away with a storm cloud over his head after hearing Arashis accurate description of his everyday life _'I wasn't gray in a week, I was gray in 3 days, it took me a week just to finish the first round of paperwork'_ Hiruzen thought as he went back to the dinner table.

**(Flashback End)**

After dinner Konohamaru went to his room to study before bed while the other three went out to the back porch for self –indulgence, a cigarette and pipe for the Sarutobis and sake for Naruto. They were all content with the silence as each man indulged his own guilty pleasure, but they all new that starting tomorrow was the beginning of something they had been preparing for, for six months, the invasion.

"Naruto there is another reason I invited you to dinner tonight besides the fact that I like your company. Before the start of the third round of the chunin exams I want to announce your return to the village as well as your lineage. What do you think about that?" Hiruzen said looking at the young shinobi calmly sipping his sake.

Naruto was calm both on the inside and outside "It's fine with me, I was going to bring the subject up myself pretty soon. I already have plans in place if the council tries to give me a hard time but what about you, keeping a secret like this from the council for six months might get the Hat taken away for good this time."

"I've been playing politics with these people for a long time I'm not worried about that. I am however worried about their reaction towards you"

"Don't be Jiji, I was taught politics from the best and I can use the law like I can use a kunai so don't worry yourself sick. I better be going, long day tomorrow" Naruto drained the rest of his sake and bowing to both Asuma and Hiruzen left in a swirl of leaves.

"We both better get some rest Pops, he's right tomorrow is going to be a long day" Asuma said before finishing his cigarette and using a small fire jutsu to incinerate the butt before going inside.

Hiruzen followed behind his son, thinking about what the future would hold for the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

**(The Next Day)**

Arashi was waiting at the front gates for his teammates to arrive, he had been there for almost a half hour waiting on them. He barely slept the night before because of the excitement of facing what he hoped to be strong opponents. Today he was wearing green tiger striped camouflage pants with matte black shin guards and black shinobi sandals. He was also wearing a sleeveless mesh shirt with a plain black sleeveless t-shirt over top of it. His arms were wrapped from wrist to elbow in black athletic tape leaving his biceps exposed. He had his fingerless black gloves with the storage seals on the palm shuriken on the left and kunais on the right. He was wearing a collarless flak jacket that matched his pants and he was also wearing two hip pouches on the left and right side. He took out his cornrows and just put his hair in a simple ponytail with his headband still across his forehead.

"You're early"

Arashi looked to his left and saw his teammate for the exams Sasuke Uchiha approach at a casual pace.

"Can't you feel the excitement Sasuke? Better early than too late, now all we need is Sakura and we can get to moving"

"Here she comes" Sasuke said gesturing in the opposite direction he had come.

Arashi turned to look and sure enough there was the pink haired kunoichi.

"Hey Sakura you ready for this?" Arashi asked as she approached.

"As ready as I'll ever be Arashi-san, good morning Sasuke-kun" Sakura replied

"Hn" was the response reserved for fan girls.

"Since we're all here let's do it" Arashi said walking through the gate with his teammates following behind him. Team 7 made their way in silence until they came up on a scene in the middle of the hallway. The door leading to the exam room was be barred by two guys one had spiky hair and three bandages on his lower face and the other had brown hair and a blue bandana style headband on, they were knocking around a guy in green spandex with a bowl cut and a girl in a pink Chinese shirt with her hair styled in two buns.

"Just let us through! We have to take the exam" the girl said.

"You think you're ready to be chunin, come back when you grow up people die in these things" the one in the blue bandana said.

"Why don't you drop the genjutsu and stop cluttering the hall, we have an exam to take" Sasuke said.

Arashi refused to face fault at the stupid arrogance of the Uchiha. _'If he knew why did he open his mouth?'_

"You saw through that genjutsu didn't you Sakura?" Sasuke asked the pinkette.

"Of course I did Sasuke-kun, it was obvious" Sakura said.

Arashi barely restrained himself from face faulting at that obvious lie.

"Why don't you make me move punk?" the one with the spiky hair said before launching a kick at Sasuke who threw a kick himself. Before either one could connect the boy in the green spandex appeared in between them and caught both attacks.

'_He's fast and strong.'_ Arashi thought

"Why don't you both save it for the exams? That is where the best will be determined." The bowl cut guy said.

Sasuke and the spiky haired stranber broke apart and regrouped before the spiky hair guy and his friend took off down the hall out of sight.

"Way to go Lee, it was your idea to hide our strength, remember?" the person who spoke was obviously of the Hyuga clan with the trade mark white eyes, he was wearing a black headband with two straps hanging from the sides and a khaki shirt and brown pants with his right arm and leg wrapped in athletic tape.

"I'm sorry Neji, Tenten, I forgot my own plan just that quickly" the now named Lee said by way of apology.

"Forget about it Lee" the girl Tenten said.

"That plan wouldn't have lasted long anyway" Neji said coming to stand next to his teammates and taking a good look at the other genin team. His eyes wandered over both Sasuke and Sakura before dismissing them both before his eyes rested on the blonde shinobi "What's your name?" Neji demanded

Arashi completely ignored the pale eyed teenager and approached his lovely teammate. "My name is Arashi may I have the honor of knowing yours?" he said

Tenten was stunned boys didn't flirt with her. They treated her like one of the guys, most of the time they didn't even realize she was a girl "Higurashi, Tenten Higurashi, nice to meet you" she said sticking her hand to shake.

Arashi grabbed her hand and brought it to his masked lips and kissed the back of it. Tentens blush could put a red apple to shame. "That is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen on a kunoichi" he said softly

"Wha.. what are you talking about?" Tenten stammered.

"The callouses on your hands, they're beautiful, they show your dedication to training it's the most beautiful and sexiest thing ever on a kunoichi."

During Arashi and Tentens introduction Neji stood there stunned, first at being ignored and then as his teammate was turned into putty. "Hey! I asked your name"

"No you demanded my name, its Arashi by the way, being from a noble clan I could only assume they tried to teach you manners and the lessons just didn't take" Arashi said mildly

"Know your place commoner" before Neji could register that Arashi had moved he was staring eye to eye with a fly, holding the fly by the wings with his fingertips was Arashi.

"Just remember Hyuga, nobility doesn't mean a damn thing on the battlefield, only skill" Arashi said before letting the fly go. "Tenten it was a pleasure to meet you I hope to get to know you in the future" Arashi said before making his way back to his teammates and continuing down the hall towards the third floor.

They were in an open area about to climb the stairs to the third floor when they were stopped.

"Hold it right there!" the green clad genin said "You are Sasuke Uchiha right? I wish to fight you, for the love of Sakura Haruno!" the announced loudly.

Sasuke smirked at the weird bowl cut wearing genin "Sure I could use a warm up."

"We don't have time for this Sasuke" Arashi warned.

"Don't worry this won't take long" he assured his team.

"Fine but don't take him lightly it could end in embarrassment" Arashi warned.

"Doubtful" Sasuke said as he faced off with the strange genin known as Rock Lee "Even though you know who I am you still know want to fight, that takes a lot of guts"

"We will see if you are still as confident when I beat you, a fair warning, out of all the Leaf genin participating in the exams today I am the strongest and I'll prove it to you right now" Lee declared

The two opponents squared off against each other, Sasuke was in a casual stance apparently not taking the match seriously and Lee was in the opening stance of the Strong Fist style, he was turned sideways with his left arm behind his back and his right hand held out in a bring it on gesture and Sasuke decided to bring it. He sprinted forward in an effort to catch his opponent of guard and once he was in range he threw a right cross and connected with nothing as his opponent had disappeared in a display of speed, he reappeared above Sasuke already in mid turn **"Leaf Hurricane!"** Sasuke ducked under the round house kick and following his opponents movements held his hands in front of his face in a guard position. Rock Lee continued his rotation from the missed round house and attacked with another kick from a crouching position that went straight through Sasukes guard and nailed him in the face.

"Sasuke!" was Sakuras shout of surprise from watching Sasuke take the hit.

Sasuke was thrown backwards by the power of the kick and laid on the ground stunned for a few moments. _'What was that I know I held my guard up'_ Sasuke thought. _'If I had my sharingan I would take this guy apart!'_ Sauke went back on the attack throwing everything he could at his opponent _'Jab,jab, right hook, sweep kick!'_ Sasuke thought but nothing worked it was either blocked or avoided. Sasuke threw another right cross with everything he had in it but it was caught and countered with an elbow to the stomach that sent him crashing into the wall behind him.

"Sasuke Uchiha, why do you not use your sharingan? if you wish to beat me that is the only way to do so"

"I don't need the sharingan to beat you!" Sasuke snarled and charged once again.

" I believe they're two types of ninja in this world, those that are born with talent like you and those that have to train hard every day of their lives like me! I'll show you hard work beats natural talent any day of the week!" Lee proclaimed before stopping Sasukes charge with a spinning back kick to the chin that launched Sasuke into the air. Lee crouched on the ground and then vanished in a blur and reappeared beneath Sasukes still floating body **"Dancing Leaf Shadow!"** "Now you're finished!" Lee said as the bandages around his arm began to unravel, before they unraveled too much a pinwheel pinned the end of the loose wrappings into the wall surprising all those in the room.

"That's enough Lee!" a large red tortoise said.

"Oh no this is bad" Lee said throwing his body into a backflip to land on the ground in a crouching position before sprinting to kneel in front of the talking animal. Sasuke too stunned by the events that just transpired was saved from further injury when Sakura broke his fall.

Arashi joined his two teammates as he watched the animal tear into the green glad genin.

"What were you thinking Lee? You're forbidden from using that technique especially on a fellow Leaf shinobi, you know that!"

"I wasn't going to use it, I just got caught up in the fight that's all, honest" Lee said trying to defend himself.

"Silence! You think a lame excuse like that is going to fly. A shinobi never reveals his techniques unless absolutely necessary and from watching this fight, it was completely uncalled for, that's such a basic rule it should be tattooed on your brain. Now stand and prepare to take the punishment for your actions"

"Yes sir" Lee said resigned to his fate.

"Come on out Guy sensei!" in a puff of smoke a man appeared on the turtles back, he was very tall and he was wearing a matching outfit to Lee's except no hand wraps and he was wearing an unzipped jonin flak jacket, he even matched Lee's bowl haircut and had way thicker eye brows "Hey there guys and gals what's shaking?" Guy sensei said standing proud with his hands on his hips and beaming a pearly white smile to all those in the room.

He didn't get an answer as Team 7 was busy sweat dropping at the appearance of the original that Lee was cloned after. The silence didn't last long as Guy sensei scolded his wayward student.

"I'm very disappointed in you Lee, are you ready for your punishment?"

"Yes Guy sensei"

"Okay!, You little idiot!" Guy yelled as he punched Lee in the face and sent him skidding along the floor. When he stopped moving Guy approached his downed student at looked at him with a river flowing from each eye. Lee looked at his sensei with the same expression on his face.

"Sensei I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay Lee, I forgive you! Your youthful exploits are all a part of growing up"

**(A/N Brace yourselves people here it comes)**

"GUY SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GUY SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GUY SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"Something bad is about to happen turn away quick!" Arashi said but it was too late for his teammates. They were forced to witness the most exuberant man hug known to the world, complete with a sunset and crashing waves as a back drop.

"Now Lee give me 100 laps around the practice field as further punishment for disobeying orders"

"Yes sir, Guy sensei!"

"Wait what about the chunin exams? There's no time for laps right now" Sakura said.

"Oh I forgot about that, make that 500 hundred laps for also disrupting the chunin exams!" Guy said .

"Yes Guy sensei!"

"Ah Lee! I'm proud to be your sensei your flames of youth are inspiring" Guy said to his student with pride before finally taking notice of the other 3 people in the room. _'That has to be Kakashi's squad'_ Guy thought to himself. "Hey how's my old rival Kakashi doing?"

"You know Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked

"Sure do! We're eternal rivals, have been for years" Guy stated before simply disappearing "my record is 50 wins and 49 losses which is one better than Kakashi" he finished saying from behind team seven. "The facts of the matter is I'm stronger than Kakashi, faster too"

'_Whoa that was all speed, he didn't even use chakra to help him'_ Arashi thought.

'_He's definitely faster than Kakashi'_ Sasuke thought.

"Guy sensei is the greatest shinobi in the world no one can defeat him!" Lee exclaimed after his senseis great show of speed.

"Enough Lee, you all better get going before it's too late. Good luck Lee! Show the world your flames of youth my precious student!"

"Yes Guy sensei! I will!"

"Well ah… Guy sensei ,it was nice meeting you. Lee how about after these exams we have a friendly spar. I'm a student of hard work myself, I would like to know which one of us has worked the hardest, my name's Arashi by the way" Arashi said to Rock Lee.

"I would be honored to battle a fellow student of hard work Arashi-san!"

"Good, than it's a deal, after the exams" Arashi said before making his way to the stairs and up to the third floor followed by the rest of the team.

"I can't believe I loss to that freak! If I had the sharingan I would've wiped the floor with him" Sasuke growled out between clenched teeth.

"Not likely Sasuke" Arashi said calmly.

"Who asked you?"

"Didn't you see the scars on his hands when he took the wraps off? Some of those scars were fresh, I wouldn't be surprised if he was out training this very morning. He probably trains until he drops every day and even with the sharingan you would have trouble" Arashi explained.

"Hn whatever" was the Uchihas response.

As they rounded the corner they stopped in surprise to see Kakashi leaning against the wall next to the door leading to the exam room.

"Kakashi sensei what are you doing here?" Sakura asked

"I'm here to wish you all good luck in the exams, I was also here to stop you if you showed up without the full team"

"I thought you said the exams were optional" Sakura said.

"They are optional as a team, I didn't want anyone pressured into participating before they were ready, but since you all showed up on your own it doesn't matter anymore. Beyond this door is another step towards your future goals, good luck" Kakashi said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Well lets go this exam isn't going to take itself" Arashi said kicking the door in and striding through. As soon as he entered he was blasted with Killing intent strong enough to make a fly faint, this was nothing compared to the killing intent he felt from people like Zabuza or his own senseis. He glanced out the side of his eyes to see how Sasuke and Sakura were doing. Sasuke was shrugging it off with no effort but Sakura was already shaking in her sandals. "Remember what I said back in Wave about killing intent Sakura"

Sakura looked into Arashis calm blue eyes and remembered what he said back in Wave about using your own intent to offset someone else's. Taking a moment to calm herself she was about to think of something that would piss her off enough to shake off this killing intent when the answered landed in her lap or more precisely on Sasukes back.

"Oh Sasuke-kun I've missed you so much! Being apart for so long has been dreadful" Ino Yamanaka, Sakuras old friend and new rival said from Sasukes back. The killing intent was completely forgotten as she saw this. "Back off Ino pig Sasuke's mine!"

"Well if it isn't miss forehead they let anyone into these exams apparently" Ino said in a haughty tone.

"They let pigs in here don't they!"

"What did you say billboard brow?" Ino demanded glaring into Sakuras eyes

"You heard me!" Sakura said glaring right back.

"Do you two have to be so loud and troublesome all the time?" a lazy voice said interrupting the screaming match.

"Mind your business slacker!" Ino snapped.

"It is my business, your screaming match is bringing a lot of unwanted attention" the slacker pointed out. Ino and Sakura looked at the other participants in the room and sure enough all eyes were on them, and they didn't look to happy. Once Sakura stopped arguing with Ino the killing intent came back seemingly stronger than before. Ino was also feeling the effects.

Arashi, tired of the minuscule killing intent approached the top of the stairs and looked out at the other participants "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" Arashi screamed and unleashed a killing intent that flooded the entire room. While most of the aspiring chunin were paralyzed the truly weak ones collapsed under the weight of the killing intent.

Arashi cut the flow of killing intent and went back to his team. When Arashi returned he saw that 3 more people and a dog had joined the cluster of chunin candidates. One was an Inuzuka male, a female Hyuga and the last guy could have been anyone, the only thing that could be seen was spiky brown hair and sunglasses.

"Who the hell are you? That was unreal?" the Inuzuka said.

"I'm Arashi the new member of Team 7 and that was very real" he said calmly.

"What happened to the other guy?" the slacker from before asked.

Team 7 answered in one word "Tora" that was all that needed to be said.

"That was some display back there, you might want to tone it down though" a smooth voice said from behind Arashi. He turned around to come face to face with a silver haired shinobi in glasses.

"What's it matter to you how I act?" Arashi said _'Something about this guy is raising the hair on the back of my neck'_

"Just thought to pass on some advice to a fellow leaf genin, I've been in these exams before and they're not easy. I'm Kabuto Yakushi"

"How many times have you taken the exams Kabuto-san?" Sakura asked

"This is my seventh time" Kabuto said smiling sheepishly.

"That doesn't bode well for the rest us then" the sill unnamed slacker said.

"It has given me a chance to gather information on certain villages and every year I come closer to reaching chunin. These are my info cards" Kabuto said taking out a deck of cards from his hip pouch "with these I have info on just about every participant in the exams"

"How do they work?" Sasuke asked interested in trying to find a weakness on certain people.

"Well its simple really, the cards respond to my chakra once I channel chakra into them all the information on the card becomes visible"

"And you have information on everyone participating in the exams?" Sasuke asked.

"Everyone" Kabuto confirmed.

"How about, Rock Lee of the Hidden Leaf, Gaara of the Desert and Arashi of the Hidden Leaf?"

"You already know their names, too easy" Kabuto said before taking out three cards and laid them out on the floor in front of him.

"Let's see first up Rock Lee, he's a genin of the Hidden Leaf and a member of Team 9. His teammates are Tenten Higurashi and Neji Hyuga they are students under jonin Might Guy. He's been a genin for a year and this is his first time in the chunin exams. As a member of Team 9 he's completed 37 D-rank missions, 12 C-ranks and 1 joint B-rank. According to his stats he has exceptional taijutsu and very below average ninjutsu and genjutsu" After he finished reading off the info card he placed it back in his deck.

"Now Gaara of the Desert, he's a genin of the Hidden Sand not a lot on him accept that this is his first chunin exam, he has completed 10 D-rank missions, 20 C-ranks and 3 B-ranks as a special note it says he completed every mission without so much as a scratch" Kabuto said in an awed tone.

"Lastly is Arashi of the Hidden Leaf, well this is surprising, it says that Arashi only recently joined the Hidden Leaf six months ago and in that time has done 30 solo D- rank missions before joining Team 7 on a C-rank turned B-rank mission. His teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, they are students under Kakashi Hatake. As a special note it says that Arashi was a bounty hunter before joining the village" Kabuto paused there with a look of concentration as if trying to remember something. "Wait Arashi the bounty hunter?" he asked spinning around to face Arashi who had been reading over his shoulder "I've heard of you, you're on the Land of Fires Watch List. I have a copy right here" he said reaching into his hip pouch and feeling around for the book he was looking for.

"Hey Shikamaru what's a 'Watch List'?" he heard Ino ask the one she had called a slacker earlier.

"Well you know how each village has a Bingo Book?" he asked. After receiving a nod of understanding he continued his explanation "Well a Watch List is the same thing only it's available to everyone not just shinobi like a Bingo Book is. Most of the people on a Watch List are considered just as dangerous as trained shinobi, the only difference is they're not affiliated with a village which is why they can't go into a Bingo Book or be labeled a missing ninja" Shikamaru said and for once looking wide awake.

"I found it, alright here we are, Arashi also known as The Perfect Storm because he has never failed to turn in a bounty. He has turned in 42 D-rank bounties, 54 C-ranks, 22 B-ranks and 13 A-ranks. His skills remain unknown except for being extremely fast and proficient in taijutsu. Apparently no one has ever lived to say what kind of ninjutsu or genjutsu abilities he has." Kabuto just looked wide eyed at Arashi who returned the look with a disinterested look of his own.

'_Who the hell is this guy?'_ Was the thought on most of the rookie's minds once this information was revealed.

All thoughts of Arashi were replaced by an explosion of smoke at the front of the classroom "Alright you maggots enough grab assing" a deep voice said from the smoke. When the smoke cleared a tall imposing figure in a black trench coat was standing in front of a group of Konoha shinobi, he like the rest of them was wearing a gray outfit and he had a blue bandana headband on "I'm Ibiki Morino proctor for your first test, line up, turn in your applications, take a number and sit in your assigned seat the test is about to begin"

'_About damn time!'_ was Arashi's thought as he made his way to the front to turn in his application.

**(With the Rookie Senseis)**

"They should be just about to begin the first portion of the exams how do you think they will do?" Kurenai asked.

"Before I found out who was the proctor for the exam I would say they had a fair chance, now I'm not so sure" Kakashi said looking up from his favorite book.

"Why? Who's the examiner?" she asked

"Ibiki Morino, with a sadist like that I charge their chances have dropped significantly"

"Who's Ibiki Morino?"

"I forgot that you're only a recently promoted jonin Kurenai so you wouldn't know who Ibiki was just yet. Ibiki is the head of the Torture and Interrogation department and one hell of a scary guy on top of that" Asuma said for once enjoying a cigarette without being glared at by his own students.

"What Why would the Hokage put someone like that in charge?" Kurenai said worried for her students.

"Relax Kurenai, he won't touch them, he doesn't have to. Ibiki's style of interrogation is more mental than physical. I just hope these kids are mentally ready, Ibiki has been known to break people down into sobbing messes with only a few words" Kakashi said before going back to his book and ending the discussion.

**(Back in the Exam Room)**

Arashi was now seated at the front of the room with the Hyuga girl who introduced herself as Hinata through a bit of stuttering seated on his right and a genin from Sand on his left. After looking at the test he knew even though the questions were hard he could answer them without any problems and after hearing how the point system was set up and the rules if caught cheating, he knew that the purpose of the test was information gathering. So he just tuned out the rest of the speech and thought back to some inconsistencies about that Leaf genin Kabuto.

'_There is something seriously off about that guy. There is no way he could gather that kind of information just by participating in other exams. Besides he said this was Gaara's and Lee's first exam so he shouldn't have any info on them, I know for a fact that mission reports and shinobi records are for Hokage and jonin sensei eyes only. He could get away with knowing who is on Lee's team and his sensei but he shouldn't know how many missions he has been a part of or what they were ranked. The most disturbing thing about him though is he smells of snakes, not just any snakes, snake summons. They're only two people I'm aware of that should smell like snake summons so either Anko or Orochimaru is getting up close and personal with this guy on a regular basis. I have to talk to the Old Man asap'_

Arashi was brought out of his thoughts by a black gloved fist slamming down on the desk in front of him and a scarred face almost nose to nose with him "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Arashi said.

The entire room face planted at the casual response to Ibikis scare tactic ,except for one person. Rock Lee had a blazing inferno in his eyes when he heard that response _'Guy sensei, is it possible to have more than one Eternal Rival? If it is, I have second rival in the hip and cool Arashi!'_ Lee thought

"I said 'Are you ready for the tenth question?'" Ibiki repeated himself.

"I don't see why not, bring it on Proctor-san" Arashi said calmly

"Are you sure? Get this last question wrong and it could destroy your shinobi career"

"If I wasn't prepared to put my career or my life on the line than I wouldn't be here, so give me your question."

Ibiki stared into the blondes eyes a moment longer trying to get him to blink first before he straightened to his full height and returned to the center of the room. He scanned the room trying to spot another target to maybe try and get these numbers down a little more. But looking out at the sea of faces all he saw was determination. "I see no one else will be leaving so those of you remaining… you all pass" he said with a smirk at the end. The response he got was what he expected.

"WHAT!"

"What are you talking about? What happened to the tenth question?" a voice in the back your asked.

"Settle down and listen, I'll explain. The first portion of the exam was meant to test two things. One as you may have already figured out was your information gather skills. The questions were designed to be impossible to answer and basically force you to cheat. Your ability to gather information on your enemy could determine the success or failure of a mission" seeing that he had every ones full attention Ibiki continued "a chunin is a mid -level shinobi who is expected to lead his own squad into combat on his own. Question ten was designed to see who amongst you actually had the guts to move forward towards a seemingly impossible goal. The ones who refused to take question ten have showed they do not have what it takes to be chunin, not now maybe not ever. Again congra-"

Before he could speak any further the window to his right exploded in a shower of glass, the reason for the broken window turned out to be a cloth ball that was unfurled to reveal a banner that said 'Second Exam Proctor the Sexy Anko Mitarashi' the sexy purple haired special jonin herself was standing in front of said banner with a wide cheesy grin. "Hello boys and girls I'm Anko Mitarashii, proctor for the second portion of the chunin exams, are you ready, good follow me!" Anko said raising her fist in the air.

"You're early Anko, again" Ibiki said stepping out from behind the banner.

"Ibiki what's with all the teams? I think you're losing your touch" Anko said smirking at her fellow interrogator.

"Maybe this is just a better crop of candidates this year."

"They don't look like much, it doesn't matter cause by the time I'm through over half will be eliminated" Anko said with a blood thirsty smirk on her face. "You creampuffs have had it easy up until now, but starting tomorrow you better be ready to kill or be killed. I'll tell your senseis where to meet me, I suggest you all do some heavy praying tonight because tomorrow you're going to need it. Dismissed!"

With that warning and dismissal the chunin hopefuls filed out of the room to prepare for day two of the exams.

**(Back in the classroom)**

Ibiki was collecting the test papers when he came across something interesting. It was the test paper of the blonde kid in the mask. The interesting thing about it was that it was blank except for the name Arashi at the top. "I can't believe I passed someone who didn't answer a single question, an interesting guy this Arashi" he was about to place it in the pile with the others when he noticed a slight distortion. "A genjutsu?" Releasing a burst of chakra on to the sheet of paper Ibiki's eyes narrowed as he read the message.

'_Ibiki-san_

_I have a few concerns about the genin known as Kabuto Yakushi, earlier he displayed some information no mere genin should have. He said he has taken the exams 7 times before and that was how he came to know what he does, but I don't buy it. He has the reserves of a jonin level shinobi and if my sensing is correct he has the control of a medic nin, how the hell he's still a genin is beyond me. Most disturbing of all is he smells strongly of snake summons. I would go to the Hokage myself about my suspicions but as you know anyone participating in the exams is forbidden from communicating with their Kage unless of an emergency and having a suspicion doesn't count. Ask the Hokage what he wants me to do about him._

_Arashi'_

"Like I said an interesting guy this Arashi" Ibiki said to himself before disappearing in a cloud of smoke to deliver the message to the Hokage.

**(The Next Day)**

"Well, I'm surprised all of you showed, did you enjoy what might be your last night on earth? Good, I welcome you all to Training Ground 44 or otherwise known as The Forest of Death" Anko said smirking at the scared faces.

"That doesn't look so scary, quit trying to look tough and let's get on with this!" that ill -advised outburst came from none other than Kiba Inuzuka. As soon as he was done talking a kunai sail past his face cutting his cheek just above his clan tattoo. Before he could even register what happened there was a sickly sweet voice in his ear.

"You know it's always the dogs who bark loud that have no bite. You better watch yourself in there little Inuzuka." Anko feeling a presence coming up behind her released another kunai from her sleeve into her hand and was about to lash out when her previously thrown kunai appeared over her shoulder being held by a tongue.

"Here is your kunai back Proctor-san" the person said in a whispery voice

"Why thank you Grass-nin, but you know I wouldn't advise coming up behind me like that again unless you're suicidal" Anko said with a grin.

"My apologies I meant no offense, I guess I'm just a little anxious to get started" the Grass-nin said before moving away to rejoin her team.

"I guess everyone's a little excited this morning, let's get back on track" Anko reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of papers "Before I explain the rules of this portion of the exams you all have to sign these waiver forms or you cannot participate" she said passing them around.

"Why do we have to sign these?" someone asked

"So that Konoha and more importantly I cannot be held accountable for your deaths and trust me there will be deaths" Once Anko received all the waiver forms she once again reached into her pocket and pulled out two scrolls, one had the kanji for heaven and the other earth "Each team will be given either a heaven or an earth scroll, your objective is to reach the tower in the center of the Forest of Death, with both scrolls and all your team members. You have five days to complete your objective"

"Five days? What are we supposed to do for food? I can't go Five days without food!" Choji cried

"You can hunt, you can fish, hell, if you get desperate enough you can eat each other, I really don't give a damn. I will give you two pieces of advice though don't open your scrolls until you have both of them in the tower and beware humans are not the top of the food chain inside Training Ground 44, Now line up get your scrolls and get to your gates!" Anko ordered.

A half hour later all the genins were at their assigned gates waiting for the word to begin. "My last warning don't die!" and with that all the gates sprang open and the chunin hopefuls sprinted forward in their ambition to achieve a higher rank.

Fifteen minutes into the second exam Team 7 stopped in a clearing to discuss strategy.

"Okay guys how do you want to do this?" Arashi asked the other two on the team.

"I say we head towards the center of the tower anyone who makes it that far will have already been in a fight and will either be injured, tired or both. Set some traps or find a nice ambush position and its over before it begins" Sasuke said laying out his plan.

"That's a solid plan Sasuke I'm for it. There's no telling what the third part of the exams are ,so it's best if we conserve our energy and strength" Arashi said

"Sasuke-kun that is an awesome plan, I can't believe you came up with that all by yourself so fast" Sakura said beaming at Sasuke.

Arashi just shook his head at her _'If this girl doesn't straighten up she's liable to get herself killed'_ "Here Sakura hold onto this" Arashi said handing him the heaven scroll he received earlier.

"Why give it to me?" Sakura asked surprised.

"Anyone we came across would expect either Sasuke or myself of having it. I'll be back in a second nature calls" Arashi said moving of into the trees in the shadows of the clearing. When he was sure he was alone he unfolded a piece of paper that had been passed to him when he received the heaven scroll. After reading the short message which consisted of six words

'_Keep an eye on him._

_Saru'_

he used a small fire jutsu to destroy the paper. Arashi raised his fingers in a cross shape and seal and whispered his favorite jutsu "**Shadow Clone Jutsu" ** an identical Arashi materialized beside him, turning to the clone he gave his orders. "Get back to the team and keep an eye on them, you have enough chakra to last for at least 3 days if you use it carefully but first take care of our guest"

"I'm on it Boss" the Arashi clone said as he turned towards the Rain shinobi who dropped his genjutsu the moment he knew he had been discovered. "I hope for your sake you have an earth scroll on you" the clone said.

The Rain ninja had a moment to regret his stupid decision to stay and spy on this particular ninja. He was there when he let of that killing intent yesterday and he heard bits and pieces of his record as a bounty hunter. Knowing these things he only had one thing to say "What the fuck was I thinking?"

The original Arashi took off in the direction of the gate he saw Kabutos team lined up at as soon as he gave his clone the order. He was hoping there would still be a decent scent to follow by the time he got there. When he arrived at the starting gate of Kabutos team he lowered his face mask slightly and channeled chakra into his nose and took a deep sniff. He had to take a moment to separate the smells. He finally picked up the one he was searching for _'Gotcha'_ Arashi followed Kabutos scent at a sedate pace and kept his distance, not knowing what type of skills Kabuto and his team possessed he didn't want to get too close.

Eventually Arashi got within sight of the mysterious team when they decided to take a break. Channeling chakra into his ears he tried to eaves drop as much as he could from the distance he was at. He was so far away all he got were faint whispers "Orochimaru-sama…. the Uchiha….pass the test" Arashi couldn't risk getting any closer without getting caught and he couldn't risk channeling more chakra into his ears without blowing out his eardrums.

Arashi was about to settle down to wait for Kabutos next move when he froze in surprise because his clone had been dispelled way before his time. He quickly sifted through the memories of the clone.

**(Arashi clone a.k.a AC)**

"I hope for your sake you have an earth scroll on you" AC said, the response he got, told him all he needed to know.

"What the fuck was I thinking?" the Rain ninja said before he felt something wet running down the front of his chest. Looking down he was surprised to see the wetness was blood, he also realized he had trouble swallowing, before he knew it he dropped to his knees and as he vision went dark the last thing he would see was his own blood staining the forest floor.

Ac wiped of the blood of the kunai he used to cut the Rain ninjas throat and resealed it back in his glove, before walking out to rejoin his teams. "Alright let's go" he said

"What took you so long?" Sakura asked

"Ran into some wildlife, let's get moving" he said and jumped into the trees. Sasuke and Saukra followed shortly after and the three traveled along tree hopping for close to an hour when a massive gust of wind separated the three. While Sasuke and Sakura were blown onto the branch of a nearby tree, AC having taking the brunt of the gust of wind was knocked a good distance away and to the forest floor. AC stood up to get his bearings when he felt hot air being blowing against his back. Turning around he came face to nostril with an enormous green snake. Taking exception to the snake's closeness he reared back and punched it in the snout "Stop steaming up my tail! What are you trying to do wrinkle it?" AC demanded

The snake was momentarily stunned by the strength of the punch before it shook it off and lunged for his target. AC evaded the snake's quick lunges in a zigzag pattern going from tree to ground. He was knocked off balance when the snake shot his tail into the ground where he was about to land and before he could regain his balance he was swallowed whole. The snake let out a satisfying hiss before retreating into the forest, before it could fully leave the clearing it just had its meal in, the snake paused with what can only be a confused expression before its head was separated from the rest of its body by a wind enhanced kunai held by AC.

"That was disgusting as well as a waste of chakra. I better get back if those two are dead the Boss is not going to be happy" AC said hopping back into the branches of the trees. He made his way towards the sounds of battle and arrived just in time to Sasuke get bitten in the neck and collapse screaming in pain "Shit! What the hell happened here?" Memorizing Sasukes and Sakuras position AC went through several handseals and called out his jutsu **"Genjutsu: Infinite Darkness!"** the area was blanketed in pitch black. Under the cover of the jutsu AC raced in and retrieved both of his teammates and left the area as fast as possible while carrying both. "Sakura calm down, it's me! It's hard enough carrying Sasukes dead weight I don't need you making it any more difficult" he said trying to get the struggling girl to be still.

"Arashi thank Kami you're alright. We were about to come look for you when this weird Grass ninja popped up out of nowhere. She challenged Sasuke to a fight for the scrolls but right from the start we were over powered. It was like she was toying with Sasuke the entire but at one point she got really excited about something, that's when I noticed Sasuke had red eyes, he awakened his sharingan. It wasn't long after I noticed it, that the Grass nin bit Sasuke and you arrived" By the time Sakura finished her story she was running on her own alongside Arashi.

"Okay let's find a place to rest and take care of Sasuke"

He finally found a spot to rest that was easily defendable. He set Sasuke down in the hollow of a tree and turned his head to look at the wound the mysterious ninja had left, he barely held back a surprised gasp as he saw the curse seal on Sasukes neck _'That was Orochimaru!'_ AC knew when he was in over his head, if Orochimaru came back he wouldn't last long enough to do any body any good, it was time to call in the original "Sakura" he said getting her attention. She had been sitting near Sasukes feet with her arms wrapped around her knees clutching them to her chest, staring into space.

"I want you to set up some perimeter traps while I scout the area. Stay near Sasuke, I'll be back when I'm through" AC said leaving the hollow of the tree.

"Wait! You're just going to leave me here…alone?" she whispered the last part.

"You should have been told this a long time ago Sakura, but when you accept the headband with the leaf insignia on it you forfeited any rights to remaining a child. It's time to act like a shinobi and do your job, for now your job is setting perimeter traps and keeping watch over Sasuke" Arashi said with his blue eyes staring into her green ones. When Sakura lowered her head to stare at her knees, Arashi sighed and knelt in front of her.

"There is a kunoichi in you that is waiting to come out and show the world what she can do, but right now, that fan girl is in control. When this is over I'm going to introduce you to someone that is going to take that fan girl beat her to within an inch of her life and introduce the kunoichi to the rest of her comrades who have been dying to meet her. You can start by digging deep inside yourself and finding those skills that the fan girl has hidden deep within you and protecting your teammate" Arashi stood up and once again made his way from the hollow of the tree "I have confidence in you Sakura don't let me down" he said before disappearing into the shadows. Once he was out of sight of Sakura AC dispelled himself to give the original an update on what was happening.

Back in the hollow of the tree Sakura Haruno was preparing to do what she was ordered to. She was determined to put more effort into her ninja skills. She pulled off her hip pouch and dumped everything on the ground to see what she had to work with and couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

A normal hip pouch would have things like soldier pills, first aid kits, ninja wire and exploding tags. What did Sakura's have? Make up, perfume and even small bottles of shampoo and conditioner. '_I'm so pathetic. Now I know why Arashi gave me the scroll, no one would suspect the weakest member of the team to hold the means of passing or failing the exam._ Sakura didn't stay down for long, she went to the still unconscious Sasuke and took his hip pouch off him and went through it. Finding the items that she could use to make traps she walked out of the hollow with one more thought before she set to work._ 'I won't fail you…Arashi-kun'._

**(Back with the original)**

'_I better get back there. I'll pick up Kabutos trail later' _with one last glance at Kabuto and his team he took off in the direction of his downed team. He had to travel most of the night and stop every now and again to avoid confrontation with some other squads, particularly the Sand squad with the red head on it.

He watched from a position high up in the trees as he used is Sand to crush a Rain team into nothing. By the time he got to the clearing he could hear the sounds of battle before a foul chakra seemed to fill the surrounding area. Arriving on the scene he couldn't believe what he saw, Sakura was beaten and bloody, Rock Lee was sprawled out on the ground and Team 10 was completely incapacitated. Sasuke was up and looking lively with the exception of a some weird tattoos and a demented smile on his face as he broke the arms of the Sound genin with spiky black hair. Arashi used the **shunshin **to appear behind him and used the edge of his hand to chop him in the neck rendering him unconscious again. "Alright enough of this shit, I've been awake all night, got swallowed by a snake yesterday and I haven't been laid in 3 days" cue the sweat drops from the still conscious guys and blushes from the still conscious girls "I'm a little on edge, I could snap and kill everybody in this clearing if I don't get some rest soon. So if you want to avoid that give me your scroll and we'll call it even for attacking my team" he said addressing the Sound team member with the bandaged head.

"How do I know you'll let us go when you have the scroll?" he asked

"You don't but I can just as easily take it from your corpse, just as easily as you can set it on the ground and leave with your team" was Arashis cold respone.

Not seeing any other options the bandaged sound ninja pulled the scroll from the inside of his jacket and set it on the ground and backed away from it. Arashi picked up Sasuke and moved away from the other downed male member of the Sound team whom he was standing behind the whole time during the negotiation and walked forward at the same time as the leader of the Sound team. Once they had swapped positions Arashi walked to the tree where he had originally laid Sasuke and set him there once again.

"I don't mean to be rude and while I appreciate your help, I think our team needs a moment alone and you need to see to your own team needs" Arashi said with his back turned to those still in the clearing.

"He's right, it's only the second day and now Lee is only at half strength, we're going to have to waste another day for him to recover" Neji said approaching Lees slowly recovering form.

"Let's get going guys" was Shikamarus lazy drawl.

"Wait at least let me fix Sakuras hair for her" Ino said as she approached a still somewhat disoriented Sakura.

"Leave it, It's as much a battle wound as the scars she received today, she can have it fixed later, now is not the time for that" Arashi said stopping Ino in her tracks. Arashi approached Sakura and picked her up bridal style and also carried her to the tree and sat her next to Sasuke, even though he didn't show it he knew when Team 10 and Team 9 left the clearing and then the area. "After I treat your wounds we'll rest for a while and then we're heading for the tower alright? We have to get Sasuke checked out as soon as we can"

"Okay Arashi-kun, whatever you say" Sakura mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.

Arashi raised his eyebrows at the kun suffix added to his name. _'Since I can't follow Kabuto without leaving my team behind, we might as well get the hell out of this forest and hopefully into some real beds. Besides with Orochimau targeting Sasuke, better safe than sorry'_

**An: My longest chapter yet 12,000 words. Okay next chapter prelims and the invasion. Fair warning, don't expect to read every prelim battle, I don't have that kind of patience to sit down and right out ten separate battles. Anyway read and review**

**PS: Drop a thank you to Adrien Skywalker author of 'The Nidaime's Heir', ToBetasered author of Uchiha Fukurou and TheDemonKingNaruto author of some of the best Godlike Naruto fics I have ever read, they really inspired me to put out another chapter after reading their stories.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: Hello out there, I know it has been a while but life caught up to me recently and forced me to step away from my computer for a bit. But do not fret here is another chapter straight to you from my brain. Enjoy!**

To say that Naruto was only a little pissed was to say that the Fourth Hokage was a mediocre shinobi. He was furious at the moment but kept a tight lid on it. He was pacing back and forth in his assigned room waiting for the deadline for the end of the second stage of the exams. He couldn't wrap his mind around what he just heard.

**(Mini Flasback)**

_The scrolls they carried during the exams turned out to be summoning scrolls, each scrolled summoned a chunin instructor that would either pass your team if you fulfilled all the requirements or they failed you by knocking you out. Our scroll summoned a teacher from the academy Iruka Umino. Arashi had met Iruka many times while doing errands around the village. After requesting medical attention for his teammates, Arashi walked around the tower in search of Kakashi to tell him about Sasuke's hell hickey. _

_He could have found Kakashi anytime he wanted to but decided to take this time to get his thoughts in order. He arrived at the top of the tower to find Kakashi leaning against a wall next to a door at the far end of the hall. As he approached him, Kakashi glanced up and instead of the usual dismissive glance actually put his book away and met Arashi halfway._

"_Arashi, I wasn't expecting you so soon" Kakashi said by way of greeting._

"_But you were expecting me?" Arashi questioned curiously._

"_Yes I was. I already know about Sasuke's new accessory, I'm about to go deal with that right now. The Hokage would like to speak with you though, he's in there" Kakashi gestured toward the doors he was standing nex tot when Arashi arrived._

"_Good, I want to talk to him as well" Arashi was about to walk past him when Kakashi held up a hand to stall him._

"_After you're finished with the Hokage come find me again, there's something I've wanted to talk to you about for a while now"_

"_Sure sensei" Arashi said and walked past him towards the doors at the end of the hall. Knocking on the doors, he pushed them inward when he heard the gruff "Enter!" and saw the Hokage sitting behind a replica of his desk from the Hokage tower._

"_Arashi , good you're here. Shut the door and give me your report" the Hokage said._

_Arashi stepped fully into the room, closed the door behind him and stood in the middle of the room and gave his report._

"_As per your orders, during the second stage, I was to keep an eye on one Kabuto Yakushi. Leaving my team with a shadow clone I tracedk Kabuto and his team to a clearing in Training Ground 44. He is definitely working for Orochimaru, but in what capacity I don't know. Whatever he does he is close enough for the smell of Orochimarus summons to rub off on him. I tried to listen to the conversation he was having between him and his teammates but I was too far away and without knowing there skills, I didn't want to risk getting too close and tipping them off that they were being watched .I caught snippets of the conversation, I know it involved Sasuke, Orochimaru and some kind of test" Arashi paused before continuing "I wasn't able to follow them for long because my clone dispersed itself to relay some information. I know you're aware Orochimaru infiltrated the exams and it looks like his purpose was to brand Sasuke with one of his curse marks. He has already used it once, that's when I decided to just get here and get him some treatment" After Arashi finished his report he just stood there waiting for the Hokage response._

_Hiruzen took his time dissecting this information. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"_

"_Well after putting together what little I found out and what Sakura told me, it seems the test was a fight between Sasuke and Orochimaru disguised as a Grass-nin. It seems he wanted to test Sasukes skills and also wanted Sasuke to activate his sharingan which he did because after he activated it that's when Sakura said he bit Sasuke branding him"_

_Hiruzen took a deep breath and let it out before speaking "We received word from Anko yesterday, maybe an hour into the second stage that she had discovered the slaughtered remains of the Grass team minus their faces. After sending back word about her suspicions she went into the forest to confront Orochimaru.."_

_Arashi stiffened when he heard that and became completely still. 'Son of a bitch! She better be alright or I'll go back to the Sound Village and burn it to the ground' Arashi raged in his mind._

"_She's alright but he did send a message with her. If we cancel the exams or pull Sasuke out of them then he's going to invade, which is good news." Hiruzen finshed_

_Arashi looked at him in mild shock "How is that good news?"_

_The Hokage smiled slightly "It's good news because he doesn't know that we know an invasion is coming. He still believes he will have the element of surprise"_

_Arashi nodded his head at that._

"_Here take this file and study it" the Hokage said reaching into a drawer and pulling out 3 thin manila folders "I should have never sent you after them without more information, that was my fault, these are the files on Kabuto and his team.I want you to familiarize yourself with their files, your mission is not over"_

"_I understand, now I think I'll go get some rest, I've been going non- stop for two days now"_

"_Very well I'll see you after the deadline" Hiruzen said by way of dismissal._

**(Mimi Flashback over)**

Naruto was in mid pace when he sensed a presence at his door. Moving quickly to open it he was not surprised to find Anko with her hand poised to knock. Before she had a chance to speak he grabbed her hand and dragged her into the room and slammed the door.

"Hey what's with the manhandling?" Anko snapped.

Naruto still didn't say anything and just grabbed her face and smashed his lips on top of hers.

Anko was completely taken back by Naruto. There was usually some teasing before her and Naruto got physical, but he hadn't so much as said "hi" to her before he was kissing her breathless. Speaking of breathless she was quickly running out of oxygen, fortunately that was when the kiss ended.

They were both panting when the kiss was broken, Anko more so than Naruto. "Okay…. What the hell was that, you don't even speak to me before you shove your tongue in my mouth trying to suffocate me? What's going on?" Anko asked.

"They're two things going on, one is, that was a thank Kami you're alive kiss. I just came back from speaking to the Hokage not too long ago. He said you went after Orochimaru without back up. What were you thinking? Had the bastard not been in a good mood I might be mourning you instead of kissing you" Naruto explained.

After his explanation Anko looked equal parts pissed off and shamefaced, quite a combination. "I was thinking I could finally get rid of the asshole!" Anko said as she started pacing the room in an agitated. "Everything I do is shadowed by him, by his status as a traitor and by me being his student. I'll never be rid of his stink until he's dead and gone" Anko paused in her pacing to sit on the single bed in the room and stare at the floor.

Naruto sighed and moved to sit next to her "I can't say I know how you feel. What I do know is that had you died yesterday, you would have left behind a lot of devastated people. Does Kurenai know you went after him by yourself yet" Naruto chuckled as Anko's face paled slightly. Anko might have been one of the scariest people in Konoha but Kurenai was known to call up Kage level strength when she was defending someone she cared about and she loved Anko like a sister.

"Ah man when she finds out what I almost did she's going to kill me" Anko whined.

"What do you mean what you almost did?" Naruto asked.

Anko looked at him confused for a moment "Don't you know? You said you spoke with the Hokage about our fight"

"He didn't give me a play by play… at least I don't think he did. What did you almost do?"

Ankos eyes widened momentarily "Ah you know what I should let you get some rest, it's only the second day and before you know it the second stage will be over and then back in the trenches, so I'll see you later" as she was speaking she was also making her way to the door and by the end of her sentence she was turning the handle before Naruto put a hand on the door keeping it closed.

"You're not leaving until you tell me"

Anko hung her head not wanting to look Naruto in the eye and tell him what actually happened. "I might have tried a forbidden jutsu he taught me"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and placed his finger under Ankos chin to raise her head up and look her in the eye. "What kind of forbidden jutsu, what would it do?" he demanded.

"It would have kind of killed both of us if it was successful" she mumbled.

Naruto blinked slowly at first then nodded his head as if he came to a silent agreement with himself. "Yep she is definitely going to put a hurting on you and my punishment as increased as well"

Anko looked at him confusedly "What punishment? You don't have any authority to give out punishments I outrank you remember?"

"This is not a punishment from shinobi to shinobi, it's a punishment from lover to lover. Remember when I said there were two things going on with that kiss?" he asked.

Getting a cautious nod from her Naruto continued "Well at first for doing something so stupid as to go after someone of Orochimarus status without backup I was going to prohibit any sexual contact until the end of the second stage…

Anko gasped and her face grew pale at the thought of no more orgasms from her earthbound sex god.

"now that you tell me that you were about to kill yourself, well now that means no more sexual contact until after the exams are over completely. That kiss was supposed to hold us over for the next three days. But I guess it will be until whenever these exams are finished" Nauto said looking Anko in the eye to convey that he was serious.

"N..no more 3 hour sex sessions for Anko?" Anko said in a soft pleading voice.

Naruto just shook his head no.

"No more sex on the Hokage Monument for Anko?"

Another shake was her answer.

"No more quickies in the Hokages office for Anko?"

Another shake of the head "And no touching yourself either" Naruto said.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Anko screamed to the heavens above.

**(At the border of Fire Country)**

Jiraiya of the Sannin, Toad Sage, sensei of Minato Namikaze, author of the hit Icha Icha series and self- proclaimed super pervert stopped in his tracks as a chill went down his back. Normally following this chill would be intense pain of several fist of feminine fury at being caught researching material for his books. But this chill was different he only felt this chill whenever he met Monks or other religious types or when he came across a beaten down husband, it was the chill of FORCED CELIBACY! Jiraiya bowed his head as he was want to do in situations such as this and sent a silent prayer to the Icha Icha Gods. _'May you know the pleasures of the flesh once again comrade'_

**(Back in the Forest of Death)**

Arashi was now wall walking the side of the Tower towards the roof where he sensed Kakashi. He left Anko back in his room sulking in a corner about her punishment while he went to have his talk with Kakashi. He found the man sitting on the roof and just staring out into the forest with a blank look in his only visible eye. So Arashi just sat himself next to him and waited until he approached whatever subject he wanted to talk about.

He didn't have to wait long and Kakashi got right to the point "You're Naruto Uzumaki aren't you?"

Naruto, seeing no reason to lie to him said "Yes I am. Although that isn't my full name, it's Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze"

"So you know about your father as well" Kakashi stated.

"Yeah, when I was six Jiji told me everything and sent me to be trained away from the village"

"Who trained you? Whoever it was must have been exceptional and also beyond trustworthy"

"You're going to have to ask Jiji that, it's a secret that as far as I know he and I are the only living beings who know. The training was brutal but well worth every ache and pain I had to endure" Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded at that as he had seen his skill for himself "Who else knows the truth about you?"

"For now just Anko, Jiji, Asuma, Konohamaru and now you. Jiji's going to make an announcement before the third round about my return and my heritage. It's going to be a shit storm but I can't hide forever and it's better for us to reveal who I am instead of someone else" Naruto said staring off into the forest below.

"So I suppose you know I was a student of your fathers. After my teammate Obito died and my other teammate Rin disappeared, he was all I had left to keep me from self- destructing" Kakashi turned his head to look directly at the blonde next to him "So if there is anything you ever need just ask and I'll do my best to help"

Naruto stared into Kakashi sole visible eye and nodded his head grateful for the support he was receiving from him. "You have done plenty. I would have been a lot worse off if you hadn't interfered as much as you did when I was a child…Inu" Naruto said smirking at Kakashi's look of surprise when he said Kakashi Anbu codename.

"H.. how?" Kakashi was so shocked he couldn't even feign his usual blasé attitude.

Naruto chuckled at Kakashi's discomfort "Those Anbu mask may cover your faces but I dare you to name anyone else in Konoha with gravity defying silver hair. Some of the Anbu with more distinguishing hair should really look into utilizing a transformation jutsu when on duty, like that Cat Anbu with the long purple hair. Maybe you guys should look into a facemask helmet combo or maybe invest in some wigs or something" Naruto laughed outright at Kakashis sheepish expression.

Naruto stopped laughing after a while before he took on a thoughtful expression and turned to look at Kakashi. "You know maybe there is something you can do for me" Naruto reached into one of his many pockets and took out a scroll that said documents on the label. He opened the scroll and bypassed the storage seals labeled _mission reports, bank statements and business_ and went to the one that said _personal_ and applied some chakra. Flicking through the many folders until he came across the one he was looking for he resealed the rest away.

"This is something my father would have wanted you to have…and I want you to have it too. Thanks for everything Kakashi" Naruto said before standing and making his way back inside.

**(3 Days later at the Tower)**

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front a gathering of wanna be chunins. Some were dirty and exhausted, some were in fresh clothes and well rested, there were very few of the latter "Congratulations on making it this far. Each and every one of you does your villages proud" Sarutobi said. "Now allow to tell you the true meaning of the chuninn exams…"

As the Hokage began his speech about the true meaning of the exams, Arashi was looking at the gathered competition. There was team 8, 9 and 10 as well as Kabutos team, the Sound team, the team from Suna. With the exception of Team 7,Kabutos team and the Suna squad they all looked like they spent months in the training ground instead of 5 days.

"Is there anyone here who wishes to quit at this point in the exams?"

Arashi focused on the speaker when he heard those words. It was a sickly looking jonin with the standard Konoha outfit and a bandana style headband.

"I would" a voice behind and to the right of Arashi said. When he turned he was not surprised to see that it was Kabuto. "I'm afraid I don't have enough chakra to continue"

'_Bullshit'_ Arashi thought.

"Very well ..cough…cough… you're excused"

'_We are far from done Kabuto… count on it'_ Arashi thought eyeing Kabuto as he made his way out of the chamber they were currently in.

"I quit as well" a soft voice said in front of him.

Arashi turned around so fast he felt like he pulled something in his neck "Sakura?"

Sakura didn't even turn around, just kept facing forward.

"What the hell forehead? What kind of game are you playing quitting all of a sudden?" Ino asked or more like demanded.

Sakura turned to face her one time best friend "That's just it Ino, this isn't a game. It's like that instructor from the first exam said, as chunin we are going to have the lives of our comrades resting on every decision we make and I know I'm nowhere near ready for that. I've only made it this far because of luck. I was about to quit during the tenth question and if not for you guys coming when you did" Sakura paused here as she relived the experience of the Sound teams attack "I would have probably died in the forest 3 days ago. No I'm not ready to be a chunin, I have too much to learn" Sakura said turning to face the instructor.

Ino just stared at Sakura with her mouth open trying to process how Sakura could sound so worldly in such a short time out of the academy.

"You're dismissed as well, anyone else?"

Arashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder as she walked past him "It seems like that hidden kunoich is starting to fight her way to the surface. I have a feeling I'll be meeting her before long" Arashi said only loud enough for Sakura to hear.

A tinge of pink spread over Sakura's face that matched her hair which thankfully Arashi ignored "Thank you" she said softly and walked to the exit leaving the arena.

"Proctor, I quit too!" Ino exclaimed loudly "If forehead thinks she going to get away with saying I'm only better than her because she quit she has another thing coming!" Ino said stomping out after Sakura.

"It seems we are finally ready…cough…cough… to begin the elimination round. Direct your attention to the board, when your name appears…cough…cough… obviously you're to come to the center of the arena prepared to fight. The first match will be…."

Everyone looked to the board as the names of the participants flash through before coming to a stop on two names.

"Sasuke Uchiha and Arashi, you two stay here, while the rest of you retreat to the balcony until your turn" Hayate said.

**Sasuke vs Arashi**

Arashi and Sasuke faced off against each other in the center of the ring while the other chunin hopefuls went to the balcony as instructed.

"You two will fight until one of you are unable to or until I stop you. Are you ready?" Hayate said first looking at Sasuke, when he received a nod, he looked at Arashi who also nodded "Very well…BEGIN!"

**XXxxXX**

"Tough break Kakashi, having your genin going against each other right from the start" Asuma said.

"I agree with Asuma Kakashi, this cannot be good for your team" Guy said in a quiet tone denoting his seriousness.

Kakashi didn't turn to address either man; he just kept a lazy eye on the two genin in the center of the arena "I'm not worried about team unity. Arashi was only on the team as a replacement and I already knew of his skills so his promotion was almost guaranteed now it's just a formality. What I'm worried about is how much damage he's going to do to Sasukes pride"

Guy was looking at Kakashi like he had just spoken a different language "Just a formality? What makes you think he has the skill to make chunin first time around?"

Asuma lit a cigarette and took a deep drag on it before stepping into the conversation "You've been busy with your team lately and have missed the last few get togethers. You've heard of the Perfect Storm right? The bounty hunter?" getting a nod from the green clad jonin "that's him down there" Asuma said gesturing towards the blonde masked ninja.

Guy was bug eyed at that revelation.

Asuma chuckled at Guys look "He joined the village about six months ago. If not for the mandatory probationary period the old man probably would have made him a jonin straight out. Sasuke chunin exam stops here, from what he's told me has trained every day until he dropped and he has over a year of real world experience. Sasuke's done here" Asuma said taking a drag on his cancer stick.

"Although I don't like the way he said it, Asuma's right, Sasuke won't make it pass this match, if it was anyone else he was facing I would bet on him or at least give him even odds but not here" Kakashi said not taking his eyes of the pair.

**(Back on the Floor)**

Arashi got into a loose boxing stance and prepared himself for whatever the Uchiha would launch first. But instead of the Uchiha getting into any type of stance or beginning any hand seal all he did was smirk.

"I have been waiting for the chance to test my strength against someone, I was hoping it would be that red head up there but I think you'll do just fine"

"Well I'm flattered that you think so highly of my skills, but flattery will get you nowhere with me. Try dinner and a movie" Arashi said.

Arashi was quick to duck under the roundhouse kick that statement had provoked he also avoided the leg sweep that followed it. He could already see Sasuke was letting his anger cloud his thoughts. Arashi didn't need the Sharingan to predict where every kick and punch was coming from.

**XXxxXX**

"Well it didn't take long for Sasuke to lose what control he had, it might be less embarrassing if he just forfeited" Kakashi said casually.

"What do you mean Kakashi-sensei? Look at Sasuke go! He's putting that Arashi guy on his heels" Kiba said getting a bark of agreement from his dog Akumaru.

"Look closer Kiba" Kurenai said to her student "Sasuke is just throwing wild punches and kicks and if you look carefully Arashi is anticipating them accurately"

"It's true, Sasuke has been open to counter attacks since the first kick, Arashi-san may seem to be on the defense but really he's just letting Sasuke tire himself, it takes more energy to swing and miss than it does to connect with an attack, a very effective strategy" Guy said analyzing the fight.

**XXxxXX**

After another failed volley of punches and kicks Sasuke jumped into the air to put some distance between the two. As he landed on the ground he was just finishing hand seals for a jutsu "**Fire style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"** Sasuke exclaimed as he inhaled a deep breath and exhaled a massive fireball at Arashi.

Like it was second nature Arashi retrieved a blood red scroll from one of his many pockets and opened to a seal labeled fire, applying chakra to the seal to activate it Arashi held it up to the incoming fireball and watched as it was absorbed into the seal. When the last of the flames were absorbed and Sasuke was panting on one knee, Arashi once again applied chakra to the seal to deactivate it, sealing the flames within.

"So Sasuke, how does it feel to have one of your jutsu stolen from you?" Arashi asked putting the scroll away.

Sasuke just glared at the blonde ninja across, before another smirked played across his features "You're better than I thought. It gives me the perfect opportunity to finally test this out fully" he said activating his Sharingan. It wasn't fully matured yet only two tomoes in the right eye and one in the left. Sasuke noticed Arashi had ducked his head so that he wouldn't meet his eyes "I see you know the power of the Uchiha Clan, you can't even look me I the eyes now"

Arashi shook his head still not looking up "That's not it at all, I was just remembering the first time I activated my own Sharingan" Arashi said looking up with the red eyes of an Uchiha with a fully matured Sharingan in each eye.

Gasps and mutterings were heard all throughout the small arena.

Even the Hokage was so shocked he dropped his pipe.

'_What another one! Kami I could have a spare set of eyes after all!' _A disguised jonin thought salivating at the thought of another possible set of red eyes.

But none were more shocked than Sasuke who had let his own eyes deactivate when Arashi looked up. "Hhh…how do you have those eyes? Tell me how you have those eyes, you're not an Uchiha!" Sasuke screamed.

Instead of answering Arashi sped forward and buried his hand in Sasukes sternum, just above the stomach and right below the ribcage. Sasuke doubled over and puked up his last meal before he started gasping for breath. Grabbing the back of Sasukes shirt before he hit the ground, Arashi stood him up and grabbed Sasuke around the throat with his right hand he threw Sasukes right arm behind his head. Then he lifted Sasuke in the air on a fully extended arm and made a 180 degree turn **"Choke slam from Hell!"** he said before slamming Sasuke on his back. With the added pain and having the rest of the wind knocked out of him Sasuke was out like a light and Arashi was making his way towards the stairs.

"Winner… Arashi! Medics!"

Arashi heard behind him. As he made his way up the stairs he was greeted by a bunch of shocked faces, none more so than those of Konoha "What?"

"What do you mean "What?" how the hell do you have the Sharingan?" Asuma demanded with shock written all over his face.

"Wait a minute Asuma, this is my student, I'll ask the questions here" Kakashi said. "What do you mean "What?" how the hell do you have the Sharingan?" Kakashi demanded much like Asuma.

"Sharingan? Oh right the Sharingan! Well that's easy I don't have the Sharingan at all" Arashi said.

All of the Konoha ninja face planted at the casual response, while the foreign ninja sweat dropped.

"Dude! You still have it activated!" Kiba exclaimed pointing at Arashis eyes.

"Oh! I can see how you're all confused then" Arashi brought his hands up in the ram seal **"Release!" **When he said that the fully matured Sharingan melted away and revealed Arashi's regular cerulean blue eyes "It was just a doubled layered genjutsu, I applied it when everyone was looking at the board for the first match, I was only going to use it as shock value to throw my opponent off during our fight. Unfortunately that opponent was Sasuke. When Sasuke activated his and I ducked my head I released the first layer which was my regular blue eyes and the second layer was the Sharingan and now we're back to regular blue"

"Nice strategy, put your opponent off balance then strike. Well done Arashi" Asuma said.

'_Nice strategy my ass! That was brilliant! That was a blanket strategy, it would have won him the match against any of the participants here, all he would have needed was one moment of hesitation to strike and the Sharingan appearing in a none Uchiha would have provided that"_ Kakashi thought looking over his student.

'_I should ask him to play a game of shogi sometime' Shikamaru thought._

'_Thank Kami it was fake the paperwork involved with the discovery of another Uchiha'_ The Hokage released a shudder that only those standing nearby saw.

'_You little shit! Getting my hopes up like that! You've now made my shit list and nobody leaves my shit list until they're dead!'_ the same disguised jonin thought.

"Okay…cough…cough… the next match is…." Hayate said turning everyone's attention to the display board.

The board flipped through the names before landing on the next two fightes

"Dosu Kinuta and Kiba Inuzuka…cough…cough… come down and step…cough… into the ring" Hayate announced.

"Whoo hoo! Akumaru let's do it!" Kiba exclaimed practically running down the stairs.

Dosu took his time getting down to the arena and lining up in front of Kiba.

**Dosu vs Kiba**

"You should just give up, Akumaru and I have this match in the bag" Kiba stated.

Dosu didn't respond just gave Kiba a blank stare.

"Are you both ready?" Hayate asked both contestants, receiving two nods, Hayate raised his right arm then brought it down swiftly "BEGIN!"

"Stay out of this Akumaru, I can handle this" Kiba said with a smirk **"Piercing Fang!"**. Kiba began spinning at an extremely fast rate and launched himself at his opponent.

Dosu simply raised the long sleeve of his right arm and as the spinning genin got closer he channeled chakra into his melody arm **"Vibrating Sound Drill"** he said swinging his arm and side stepping the mini-cyclone.

The still spinning Kiba sailed past his intended target directly into the wall behind him knocking him-self unconscious. Akumaru ran to his partner and began tugging on his pants leg trying to get Kibas head out of the cement wall it was currently stuck in.

"Winner… Dosu Kinuta!Medics!" Hayate said.

**XXxxXX**

"Wow! That was a little embarrassing huh?" Arashi said stating the obvious.

Kurenai just shook her head at her students embarrassing loss after so much boasting "I can't believe he lost like that. What was that jutsu anyway?"

"You know that device he has on his arm?" Shikamaru said.

"What about it?" Kurenai said turning towards the lazy genin.

"Troublesome…he used a similar attack on another genin before the exams started and he also used during the second stage. He channels chakra through it and attacks with sound waves, with Kibas sensitive hearing he was at a severe disadvantage" Shikamaru explained.

**XXxxXX**

"Next Match!...Gaara of the Desert and Misumi Tsurugi…cough…cough… step into the arena!" Hayate announced.

Gaara disappeared in a **sand shunsin** and appeared in the center of the arena with his arms crossed over his chest.

Misumi walked down from the balcony at a leisurely pace, he appeared to be in no hurry to confront the genin from Sand.

"Are both fighters ready?" in response Gaara popped the cork of his gourd and sand began to slither around his form. Misumi gave a hesitant nod of his head "BEGIN!"

Misumi began the offensive with a hail of shuriken and kunai. The response from Gaara was a blank stare and his sand moving into the path of the projectiles to intercept them. Misumi rushed Gaara in an attempt to get past his sand defense but it was no good, every punch and kick was met with a wall of sand and blank stare, he was beginning to get frustrated when he noticed a tightening around his leg, he glanced down to see sand enclosing his leg, abandoning his attack on Gaara, Misumi brought both fist down on the sand encasing his leg breaking the hold and then did several back hand springs to gain some distance.

"That was little too close, I see why you've never taken any damage that is one hell of a defense" Misumi said.

Gaara ignored the compliment "This is boring, your blood is not enough to appease mother" Gaara said in his usual monotone voice.

Misumi glared at Gaara "Don't dismiss me you little shit! You might not live to regret it" he then put his hands in a ram seal and channeled chakra throughout his body **"Soft Body Modification"** he said lowering his arms he reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a paper tag. His jutsu became noticeable when he stretched his arm out to attack Gaara, as he had expected Gaaras sand came to his defense and Misumi attached the paper bomb to the sand shield, placing his hand in the ram seal "Let's see how bored you are now" he said detonating the bomb and showering bits of sand throughout the arena.

This strategy actually made Gaara blink but that was all the response he had.

Misumi then went on the offense once more, this time he stretched both his arms and attached two exploding tags scattering Gaaras defense even more. Misumi's strategy was simple, without his sand Gaara was defenseless, so get rid of the sand, get to the target…easy "You're running out of sand kid, without this defense you're a sitting duck"

If Misumi hadn't gotten so over confident that his strategy was working he would have noticed that he was suddenly ankle deep in sand. Unfortunately he only noticed when he was overcome by a shadow from behind him, he tried to jump away but the sand at his ankles tightened and brought him to the floor, the sand that was building behind him crashed down on top of him wrapping his body from the shoulders down in a tight cocoon.

"As I said before your blood is unworthy of mother but she must be fed" Gaara said.

"H..how…did you.. get…your…sand behind me?" Misumi had to strain to get the words out because the sand was steadily increasing.

"Your little bombs caused a cloud cover and I drilled a hole in the floor and got my sand behind you **Sand Coffin**" before Hayate could call the match even before Misumi could scream he was crushed within the sand.

"Winner…Gaara of the Desert! Medics!"

As Gaaras sand retreated back to his gourd Misumi was left in a heap until the medics pronounced him dead and removed his body.

**XXxxXX**

"Did that really just happen? He just killed him like it was nothing" Choji said shocked at having just witnessed his first death.

"Gaara's never satisfied unless he spills blood… unfortunately he doesn't care if its friend or enemy" Temari said although the last part she said quietly so that only Kankuro standing next to her could hear.

"Tsurugi-san was right about something" Arashi said not speaking to anyone in particular "If one were to get past his sand defense they could take him down. Too bad the fight didn't last too long, I would have liked to see the extent of his defense"

Kankuro scoffed as he came to stand next to the blond Konoha ninja "It's an absolute defense nothing gets past it"

"The only absolute defense is an absolute offense, besides I like a challenge and this seems promising" Arashi said.

"Yeah I'll make sure they put that on your tombstone, pal" Kankuro replied smugly.

**XXxxXX**

"Next match….Choji Akimichi vs Yoroi Akado! Enter the Arena…cough…cough" Hayate announced.

Yoroi jumped from the balcony to the floor anxious to get the fight going while Choji was freaking out clutching to Shikamaru and Asuma.

"I don't have all day fat-boy get down here so you can have your ass handed to you" Yoroi growled out.

Chojis hysterics ceased immediately and he walked woodenly to the railing of the balcony and looked down at his opponent "What did you call me?" he asked calmly.

"I called you "fat-boy" what of it?"

"That's what I thought you said" Choji said and disappeared from the balcony and was suddenly standing across from Yoroi "Proctor start the match then find a spot out the way" Choji said still in that calm voice.

'_Damn Akimichis are so sensitive but still better someone else than me'_ Hayate thought "Are you both ready?" getting two nods "BEGIN!" he said and disappeared.

"**Partial Expansion Jutsu: Right Arm!"** Choji said and right at the start through a punch worthy of a giant, his hand completely covered Yoroi from head to toe as it connected with Yorois entire body, embedding him spread eagle in to the cement wall behind him "I'M NOT FAT I'M BIG BONED!" Choji screamed.

"Winner…Choji Akimichi!Medics!"

**XXxxXX**

"So I'm guessing he's a tad sensitive about his wait huh?" Arashi said.

Asuma sheepishly rubbed the back of his head "Only a little"

**XXxxXX**

"cough…cough… Next match Rock Lee vs KanKuro of the Desert! Enter the arena!"

"YES! IT IS NOW TIME TO SHOW THE WORLD MY FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Lee screamed from the balcony before flipping over it landing below in a crouched position.

**(AN: IT IS SO SCARY INSIDE LEE'S HEAD SOMEONE HELP ME!)**

Kankuro joined Lee in the arena after calmly walking down the stairs. The two faced each- other, Lee was almost bouncing with unused energy.

"CALM DOWN LEE, SOON YOU MAY UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUTH!" Guy shouted from the balcony.

**(AN: IT'S WORSE IN GUY'S HEAD HE'S THE ORIGINAL!)**

"Are…cough…cough…both fighters ready?" Two nods later "BEGIN!"

"Let's have a most youthful match!" Lee said doing his nice guy pose.

Kankuro sweatdropped at the weird green clad genin "Yeah whatever"

"ALRIGHT HERE I GO!" Lee said before disappearing in a show of speed, when he was seen again he was already in mid-air performing a back spinning kick **"Severe Leaf Hurricane!"** he said aiming for Kankuro's head **CRASH!** Kankuros head burst in a shower of wooden splinters. "AHH! My POWER OF YOUTH AS COMPLETELY DESTROYED ANOTHER PERSON!" Lee screamed backing away from the headless corpse.

"OH SON OF A BITCH!" was heard as the bundle on the headless body unwrapped itself revealing the real Kankuro "You destroyed Crow! Do you know how long it took me to build this, the blood, the sweat and tears?"

"I am so sorry, what can I do to help you fix it?" Lee offered.

Arashi palmed his face at that "Hey, Lee!" Arashi yelled down to get his attention.

"Yes Arashi-san?"

"Don't apologize, you're in the middle of a fight, you just destroyed his weapon now kick his ass!"

"**Dynamic Entry!"** Lee said taking a running start and executing a flying kick to the face of a still distraught Kankuro knocking him unconscious before he hit the ground.

"Winner…Rock Lee!Medics"

"GUY-SENSEI, I DID IT! I'M ONE STEP CLOSER TO SHOWING THE POWER OF YOUTH TO THE WORLD!"

"LEE, YOU MAKE SO PROUD!" Guy said giving his student a nice guy pose complete with a wide cheesy grin.

"Alright…cough…cough…clear the floor we have to…cough…start the next match" Hayate said shaking his head at the Guy clone running back up the balcony.

"Next match…"

**(An: The rest of the matches are canon)**

**Shikamaru Nara vs Kin Tsuchi…Winner…Shikamaru Nara!**

**Neji Hyuuga vs Hinata Hyuuga…Winner…Neji Hyuuga!**

**Tenten vs Temari of the Desert…Winner…Temari of the Desert!**

**Zaku Abumi vs Shino Aburame…Winner…Shino Aburame!**

"That concludes the prelim battles…cough…cough… now everyone draw a slip of paper from the box and read of the number" Hayate said readying a clip board.

"4"

"7"

"1"

"3"

"8"

"2"

"5"

"6"

"9"

"Okay here's the lineup for the finals…cough…cough…match 1 Neji Hyuuga vs Arashi, match 2 Shikamaru Nara vs Temari of the Desert, match 3 Gaara of the Desert vs Rock Lee, match 4 Shino Aburame vs Dosu Kinuta and Choji Akimichi will have a first round bye. You will have …cough..cough..one month to plan a battle strategy"

"A month? Why so long?" Choji asked,

"So that the nobles who will be coming from all over have a chance to get here and see you in action for themselves" The Hokage informed them "Congratulations on advancing so far and I look forward to seeing what else you have in store for a stadium packed with an audience, for now though you are all dismissed"

Genins and jonin senseis began to file out of the prelim battle arena to prepare for the following month with the exception of a few. Arashi was one of the first ones to leave the arena eager to pick up the trail of the absent Kabuto, he didn't get very far outside the tower before a massive Anbu in a bear mask stopped him.

"Can I help you Bear-san?"

"Lord Hokage has ordered you to meet him at the Hokage Tower within the hour, Araashi-san" the Anbu said.

Arashi sighed at the delay to his mission "Very well, I'll make my way there"

Nodding in acceptance the Bear Anbu disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Arashi shook his head then followed the example of the Anbu and disappeared in a swirl of wind.

**XXxxXX**

He reappeared near the edge of Training Ground 44 and made his way back into the village, since he had an hour to kill he figured he would grab a bite to eat and directed his feet to one of his favorite places in Konoha to chow down, the Ichiraku Ramen stand. He discovered Ichirakus fairly quickly when he first arrived in the village and it quickly became one of his favorite eateries, the food was godly, the service was outstanding and Ayame the cook's daughter was wonderful scenery. Just thinking about the brown haired cutie with the kind smile made Arashi quicken his steps.

Since the ramen stand was in the shinobi section of the village he made it there in about 5 minutes at a quick pace. Stepping through the curtains he paused to inhale the collection of perfectly cooked ramen and almost had an olfactory joy-gasm. Arashi shook himself before he started drooling through his mask and took a seat at the counter.

"Just a minute and I'll be right with you!" a female voice said from the back of the food stand.

"Take your time" Arashi replied picking up the menu even though he already memorized the whole thing.

"Welcome to Ichira….Arashi-kun, welcome back!" Ayame said beaming at him.

"Thank you, Ayame-chan"

"Have you been out on a mission? You usually come by at least once a week" she asked?

"Actually I was taking part in the chunin exams and they just finished the second part, the final stage doesn't happen for another month so you might not be seeing that often in the near future"

"Oh! Well I'll miss having you around Arashi-kun" Ayame said pink tingeing her cheeks slightly.

Arashi smirked beneath his mask "Ayame-chan, I had no idea you would miss me so much, would you like something to hold you over until we meet again?" he asked learning over the counter getting right in her face looking into her eyes. The slight tinge of pink turned into a cherry red from her neck to her forehead.

"Th..thats not what I meant at all!" she stammered "Let me go put your order in" she said turning and almost running into the kitchen.

A few seconds later the owner of Ichirakus and Ayames father came out of the kitchen, he was probably in his early to mid- fifties with perpetually closed eyes and a scowl.

"I figured it was you out here Arashi-san, Ayame came in the kitchen red from hairline to neck and completely forgot the order, now she's too embarrassed to come back out to ask for it again" he said chuckling.

"The only reason she forgot was because she never took it"

The ramen chef was laughing outright now and thinking of the blackmail material he now had on his daughter. "Anyway what will you have?"

"A large bowl of chicken, beef and pork please"

"Just 3 huh? Taking it light today?"

"Yeah unfortunately, I have an appointment so have to dine and dash" Arashi said.

"Then let me get started, your orders will be ready in a minute" Ichiraku said heading to the kitchen.

Arashi was settling himself in for a wait when he heard a semi familiar voice in the street behind him.

"You do know the rocks aren't square don't you?" the voice.

"Get out of here lady, can't you see we're on a surveillance mission" a childish voice said that Arashi did recognize. Arashi moved to the curtain and saw that the familiar female voice was Hana inuzuka. She was wearing the same clothes as last time he saw her only this time a chunin vest had been added as well as 3 gray wolf hounds, the hounds were surrounding a poorly designed talking rock.

'I'm just saying, rocks aren't square neither do they have eye holes" Hana said shaking her head with her hands on her hips.

"Just leave already and take your dogs with you, you're going to blow our cover" the voice belonging to Konohamaru said.

"Too late for that Kon, what are you doing?" Arashi asked walking up to them.

"This is our chance!" Konohamaru said then the rock exploded in smoke causing the dogs to retreat behind Hana and Arashi "…cough…cough…cough…too much smoke powder! I'm Konohamaru, Future Monkey Sage of Konoha!"

"My name is Udon and I like math!" Udon was a slightly pudgy boy with a perpetually runny nose and glasses.

"I'm Moegi, the sassiest Kunoichi on the planet!" Moegi was a orange haired girl with two massive pig-tails sticking straight up off her head and a perpetual blush which could not be seen at the moment because the 3 academy students were wearing facemask over the lower half of their face much like Arashi.

"Together we are the Konohamaru Ninja Corp!" the 3 said at the same time and struck poses.

Arashi just stared at the 3 with a blank expression and a sweat drop as he did every time the trio did their introduction "Riiiight, let me ask again, what are you doing Kon?" Arashi said.

"Nii-san, I'm here to challenge you!" Konohamaru said pointing at Arashi.

"Okay, have you finished the exercise I gave you?" Arashi asked.

"Uh…not yet" Konohamaru said rubbing his head sheepishly.

"You know our deal, no challenges until you complete every exercise I give you. Why didn't you finish it?" Arashi asked glaring slightly.

"Because it was boring just sitting there going through hand seals, I want to learn some awesome jutsu!" he said.

"Oh I see, you want to learn an awesome jutsu, huh? Something like a dragon made of fire?" Arashi asked in false cheerfulness.

"Yeah definitely that sounds awesome!" Konohamaru said nodding his head eagerly.

Arashi looked at Udon and Moegi "How about you two, you want to learn an awesome jutsu as well?"

Two more eager head nods followed his question.

"Okay! I'll teach the 3 of you an offensive jutsu right now!" Arashi said eye smiling at the 3.

"Um… Arashi-san is it a good idea to teach 3 academy students a possibly dangerous jutsu?" asked Hana who had been keeping quiet until then.

"It'll be fine Hana-chan. Okay you 3 pay close attention, this jutsu is a close quarter combat jutsu, it's very effective if used correctly, there's only one hand seal" Arashi then held his closed fist out so that all 3 could see it "I call this jutsu the **Get Your Head Out of Your Ass Jutsu!"**

***Bonk!* *Bonk!* *Bonk!***

And just like that, the Konohamaru Ninja Corps was sitting on their asses nursing the lumps on the top of their heads.

"NII-SAN/BOSS ARASHI!"

Hana was off to the side of the group where she had moved when she thought Arashi was going to actually teach these kids something as destructive as the **Fire Dragon Jutsu**.

"Have you forgotten already Konohamaru, there are no shortcuts to achieving your goals. You have to complete every step or you will miss something vital that could save your life or someone else's someday, even if I were dumb enough to teach you an A-rank jutsu like the **Fire Dragon Jutsu** if you can't do the hand seals correctly you might accidently blow your-self up. Udon, Moegi since you both followed Konohamarus lead without questioning his plan, you can share in his punishment" Arashi said getting shocked looks from the 3.

"Punishment? Punishment for what?" Konohamaru asked still holding his head.

"Punishment for breaking your end of the deal we made. For the next 30 days you are not allowed to challenge me or your grandfather" Arashi began.

"WHAT?"

"I'm not done, in addition to that, for the next 30 days you owe me 20 laps a day around the academy while going through hand seals forward and backward. If you don't complete your punishment then I won't accept any more of your challenges" Arashi said.

"Wh.. why not?" Konohamaru asked almost tearfully.

"Because Kon, you have already broken your word to me once when you didn't finish the original exercise but challenged me anyway. Your more than my rival, someday the 3 of you are going to be my comrades and I have to know I can trust you to do what you say you're going to do" he said staring down at the Konohamaru Corps.

"Fine I accept your punishment and I'll finish those laps and more!"

"Me too! I'll be right there with you Koonhamaru!" Udon said.

"You two would be lost without me, so I'll be there as well" Moegi chimed in.

"It's good to see you so enthusiastic, before you get started there are 3 large bowls of ramen waiting for you inside. Just tell them to put it on my tab" Arashi said eye smiling as the 3 academy students rushed in to the stand.

While Arashi was doling out punishments, Hana was dealing with some rising feelings for the masked ninja _'Okay, so far I've seen he can be king to animals which is a big plus. He would be a wonderful role model if the ninja mask these kids are wearing is any indication. He can also be strict and instill morals in to people. My Kami! Now I just need to see him on the battle field and in the bedroom and I might have found the perfect mate'_ Hana's thoughts were interrupted by Arashi's hand waving in front of her face.

"Hana-chan, you zoned out on me for a minute"

"Oh sorry Arashi-kun" Hana said blushing slightly and didn't realize she added the kun suffix, but Arashi did "Were you saying something?"

"Yeah, I asked for an introduction to your companions" Arashi said his eyes conveying his amusement.

"Oh! Of course these are the Haimaru triplets my partners" Hana said gesturing towards her 3 gray constant companions.

"Nice to meet you all" Arashi said by way of greeting. The Haimaru triplets shuffled closer to Arashi to get a couple of good sniffs just to memorize his scent then once again retreated to Hanas side.

"So where are you off to Hana-chan?"

"I was on my way to the hospital to pick up my brother Kiba, it seems he got himself injured during the chunin exams" Hana

"Yeah, I was there, it was kind of over pretty quick after all his boasting" Arashi said chuckling at the memory "Do you mind if I walk with you, I'm heading in that direction?"

"Not at all, I have a couple of medic friends who were there, they told me in great detail what happened. It sounded just like him, Kiba thinks himself an alpha but at the moment he doesn't have the skill to back it up"

"He'll come around"

"How did you do?" Hana asked.

"I'm in the finals, one month from today and I show Konoha and the Elemental Nation what I can do" Arashi said confidently.

"Careful, you sound a little like Kiba" Hana said.

"Thanks for the warning" Arashi and Hana walked together for a few more minutes until they came to a cross section. The hospital was further down the street straight ahead, but the Hokage Tower were Arashi had his meeting was to the right "I guess this is where we part company for the time being. It was nice seeing you again Hana-chan"

"You too Arashi, I'll be sure to cheer for you during the exams" Hana promised.

"Thank you Hana-chan, I look forward to hearing you scream my name" Arashi said walking off down the road towards the tower.

Hana was stuck in the middle of the road with her jaw hanging open and a deep red blush on her face at the blatant sexual innuendo as well as a pleasant shiver of anticipation.

**XXxxXX**

Arashi arrived at the Hokages door and knowing that he was expected enter of his own accord. He was greeted by a tense atmosphere. In the room was Kakashi standing in front of the Hokages desk with his hands shoved in to his pockets as well as a man, Arashi had never met but knew the description of.

He was an older man somewhere in his late forties early fifties with long white spikey hair tied in a ponytail going down his back with two shoulder length strands going down both sides of his face. He also had red lines that ran from beneath his eyes down his cheeks and a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "Oil" on it. His outfit consisted of a green short kimono over top a mesh shirt and matching pants with wooden getas instead of shinobi sandals, rounding out the outfit was a red cloak. He was leaning against the window behind the Hokage with his arms crossed with a large scroll resting against his leg.

"You called for me Hokage-sama?" Arashi said respectively.

"Yes I did, firstly knock off the Hokage-sama stuff, everyone here already knows who you are" the Hokage said.

"If you say so Jiji, I don't mean to sound impatient but I was hoping to get back on Kabutos trail before it went cold"

"Then I'm glad I called you here, originally, I only called you here to introduce you to Jiraiya here" Hiruzen said gesturing over his shoulder at Jiraiya who tilted his head in greeting which Naruto returned. "But now with the information that Kakashi brought to me, Kabutos surveillance mission just became a capture mission. About a half an hour ago Kabuto tried to abduct Sasuke from the hospital" Hiruzen informed him.

"He's still in the hospital? I didn't do that much damage did I?" Arashi asked a little worried because in all honesty he felt like he barely touched the Uchiha. Arashi decided to put Sasuke out of his mind for the time being "Kakashi, did he display any skills that weren't in his files?"

"He may be a sensor or just really aware of his surroundings, he was ready for me before I even entered the room and also he already had an exit strategy prepared. His evasion skills are quite good, he disguised himself as a dead Anbu and used the** Dead Soul Jutsu** where he can temporarily use an animated dead body. He seemed to be comfortable in close quarters so I'm guessing he prefers close range combat as opposed to long or mid- range" Kakashi ended his examination of Kabutos skills with a shrug of his shoulders "That's all I could figure out in the short time we encountered each other"

"That's more than enough, I'll start at the hospital and work my way out, where do you want him delivered?" Arashi asked his leader.

"Anbu headquarters, we have to get those invasion plans out of him if he knows them. I'll have interrogators on standby for delivery"

"Right, well I'm off, I'll check in when I can" Arashi said leaving in a swirl of leaves.

"So that's him huh? The hair and eyes are all Minato and from the way you described how he fights, that's Minato as well…except that thing with the Sharingan that reminds me of Kushina all the way" Jiraiya said laughing at the story he was told shortly before Narutos arrival.

"I've had the opportunity to hang out with him and he definitely has some of Kushina-sama in him, even off the battle field" Kakashi said thinking back to Arashi's first night and the many that followed of him drinking and ditching the bills on someone else.

"He'll be fine Jiraiya, he was trained by some of the best people I could find" Hiruzen assured him.

Jiraiya turned serious eyes on his sensei "Who did train him sensei?"

"I did….technically"

**XXxxXX**

Just like Arashi said he started his search at the hospital and an hour later he was following Kabutos scent all throughout Konoha leading him on a merry chase until finally the scent grew strong enough for Arashi to know that Kabuto was close by. It was dark out now which made it easier for Arashi to blend in to the shadows and which might have been the reason Kabuto suddenly decided not to be too careful.

He spotted Kabuto walking out of an alley about 50 yards ahead, he then began just strolling down the street without a care in the world like he wasn't being hunted at the moment. Maybe he knew someone was out there, maybe he didn't, either way it takes a lot of balls to walk in enemy territory and be so damn relaxed about it.

Arashi decided to hang back in the distance until Kabuto hopefully entered an area where he could let loose and not worry about collateral damage. He followed Kabuto for another hour as he seemed to wonder aimlessly until he suddenly took to the roofs. Arashi followed a moment later and as he crept closer he was surprised to see Kabuto joined by someone he recognized from the exams, it was the Sand teams jonin sensei. As Arashi stood in a shadowed corner of the next building over he channeled chakra into his ear to listen in on what they were saying.

"_Should we be meeting out in the open like this? If Konoha suspects, things could take a turn for the worst" Baki said._

"_It doesn't matter, my cover is already blown. I was ordered to take Sasuke from the hospital but failed, so Konoha is already on the lookout for me" Kabuto responded._

"_Exactl,y they're looking for a Sound spy but they have no suspicions on the Sand village and the Kazekage wants to keep it that way. I heard you're Orochimarus right hand, but you still call for a face to face meeting after you've been compromised. It's a foolish game you're playing"_

"_True enough, I probably could have taken Sasuke and been back in the Sound Village before they had even realized it, but I wanted to see how Konoha would respond, seeing their reaction I could still take him"_

"_If your foolishness causes the plan to fail the Hidden Sand will with draw, you came to us, the Sand will not show its hand until the last moment that is the will of our Kazekage"_

"_That's fine with us…here is a scroll with the plan…you should tell your students soon so they know what rolls they are to play"_

"_Right"_

"_Well I'm out of here but before I go, I'll deal with our guest"_

Arashi cut the flow of chakra to his ears and prepared to defend himself from any incoming attack…but none came. He looked back over to Kabuto and the Sand jonin with enough time to see two shadows racing away further into the village. He turned his attention to Kabuto who stood there for a moment longer before dropping of the side of the building **"Shadow Clone Jutsu"** he whispered. No words were traded between clone and creator, the clone new what he wanted and went after the Sand jonin and the mystery person.

Arashi got back on Kabutos trail and was happy to see he was finally going into a less populated area namely one of the many training grounds. The training ground was like many others within Konoha, a wide grassy field with trees dotted throughout the edges. He walked into the very center of the wide grassy area before he stopped "I was hoping you would get bored by now but it seems I have some lose ends" Kabuto said with his back turned.

Arashi stayed in the shadows waiting for Kabuto to make the first move. He was glad he waited because coming out of the tree line facing Kabuto was the hunched figure of Dosu Kinuta.

"The only reason I followed you to begin with was to get a look at those info cards of yours, but then I heard you and that Sand ninja talking, you're Orochimarus right hand huh? Since I can't get to him you'll have to do" Dosu said raising the sleeve of his melody arm.

"Now why would you betray Orochimaru-sama after all he has given you?" Kabuto asked smirking at the bandaged Dosu.

"We thought we were going to be a part of something great, we thought we would finally belong somewhere but Orochimaru was just fattening us up for the kill, we were supposed to die by Sasuke Uchihas hands when he awakened the curse mark weren't we?" he asked.

"Oh you're a smart one Dosu-kun, you know your sacrifice doesn't have to be in vain, Orochimaru-sama still has a use for you" Kabuto said holding up a now glowing hand.

"I'm done being used" Dosu replied and rushed forward swinging his melody arm. Kabuto was launched back and landed roughly on the ground. Dosu ran forward to press his attack but skidded to a stop when Kabuto dissolved into mud. _'__**Mud clone!'**_ Dosu thought looking around franticly for any sign of Kabuto. "Aah!" Dosu fell forward with a cry of pain as his Achilles tendons was cut in both heels.

Kabuto rose from the ground behind him with a cold smirk on his face, he took advantage of Dosu's position hand pressed the tip of his glowing finger to the back of his neck and completely immobilized him "I've just trapped the blood flow to your brain, in a minute, all that blood that circulates around your brain will have nowhere else to go except for your nose, your mouth, the ears even your eyes and then you will die, painfully, it's called **The Kiss Of The Dragon**" Kabuto explained calmly while smiling down at the struggling Dosu "You should have taken me up on my offer Dosu-kun"

Kabuto was forced to dodge away from the prone Dosu as Arashi finally made his presence known by way of a kunai aimed at Kabutos head. Kabuto put a good amount of distance between them and watched as Arashi put a kunai through the back of Dosu's head to ease his suffering.

"Awww…you ruined my entertainment, no matter though, I'll be happy to let you play the next round of meet the Shinigami" Kabuto said smiling at Arashi and pushing his glasses up his nose.

Arashi didn't respond to the taunt just created a shadow clone and had it take Dosus body out of the upcoming battle ground.

"Nothing to say, Arashi-kun? Nothing about how I could betray my home? Or how heartless I am?" Kabuto asked.

Arashi responded by reaching into is hip pouch and pulling out a black cylinder that fit in the palm of his hand, channeling chakra into the cylinder it extended to reveal a six foot solid steel bo-staff "Do I look like a therapist to you? I don't care about your reasons for joining with Orochimaru or how cold and ruthless you are in battle. The only thing that concerns me is completing my mission, so let's get this over with quickly" Arashi said running forward twirling his staff above his head, when he came within reach of Kabuto he flipped over him and brought his staff crashing against the trunk of a tree directly behind Kabuto shattering the trunk and almost knocking the tree down.

A figure jumped out of the trunk of the tree before Arashi's staff could connect with it. The figure was Kabuto "I guess there's no fooling you with simple mud clone is there?" he asked letting his mud clone collapse "Oh well, it has been some time since I could cut loose and there's no time like the present to stretch those seldom used muscles" Kabuto said

"You're a funny guy Kabuto, you're so confident that you can escape or outright kill me but in reality you have no idea what you're dealing with" Arashi releasing lightening chakra into his steel staff **"Lightening Style:Lightening Rod Jutsu"** Arashi sprang forward swinging his staff in a downward slash aimed for Kabutos shoulder. Kabuto jumped back trying to put some distance between him-self and the too close for comfort lightening rod. But Arashi didn't give him a chance to react in any way other then defensively as he continued to press his attack.

Kabuto was set back on his heels, he didn't have any information on this Arashi person that couldn't be found by doing a bit of research. Kabuto was a close range fighter and without the ability to get in close and use his **Chakra Scalpels** he was at a serious disadvantage to a competent enemy. **"Earth Style: Mud Clone Jutsu!"** Out of the ground rose five additional clones who upon fully forming charged Arashi head on. Arashi stuck his staff in the ground and went through several hand seals **"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" **Arashi inhale a deep breath before exhaling a fireball that completely obliterated the mud clones and a good portion of the training field.

"Okay if I was a cowardly, four eyed, butt loving psychopath, where would I be?" Arashi asked himself right before the ground behind him exploded in a shower of dirt, Arashi was about to turn round when he felt a fingertip at the back of his neck and froze.

"You shouldn't make me angry Arashi-kun, I know ways to keep you alive and in pain for the rest of your life" Kabuto hissed coldly "Good luck for you though that I don't have time because of that little fire show you put on. But I do have to congratulate you though, you're the second person tonight to be kissed by a dragon. I only wish we had more time" Kabuto said smirking before pushing chakra into the back of Arashi's neck.

Two things happened then, the Arashi in front of Kabuto disappeared in a puff of smoke and the staff that had been stuck in the ground slightly behind Kabuto transformed into the real Arashi and grabbed Kabuto by his outstretched arm and by the back of his neck.

"You wish is granted Kabuto-kun, we're going to have plenty of time together" Arashi said before channeling lightening chakra through Kabutos body until he was unconscious. Dropping the unconscious Kabuto to the ground, Arashi spent a few minutes tying him up with ninja wire and also putting a chakra suppressing sealing on him, before picking him up and disappearing in a crackle of lightening.

**XXxxXX**

Arashi arrived at the Anbu headquarters with the still unconscious Kabuto draped over his shoulders. He was apparently expected because he was met at the entrance by the Bear Anbu from earlier in the day and a purple haired Anbu with a cat mask. He followed the two to the Anbu interrogation rooms where the Hokage and my clone seemed to be waiting for him. The clone upon seeing his creator dispelled himself with a two finger salute. When Arashi absorbed the clones memories he knew they weren't actually waiting for him. He moved to stand next to the Hokage and peered through the two-way glass at the Sand jonin Baki being interrogated by a blonde man with a long high ponytail.

"Who's that guy?" Arashi asked.

"Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan and one of our top interrogators" Hiruzeb informed him.

"Where's Ibiki then?"

"I sent him out on a intel gathering mission right after the prelim fights, he won't be back for at least a week, had I known I would have needed him I would have sent someone else" the Hokage grumbled.

Arashi smirked at the Hoakge standing next to him "Since we don't have any time to lose, I know of a interrogation specialist who would love to go to work on Orochimarus second in command with a pair of kunai and a blow torch"

"It appears so, but I'm still worried she might kill him before we get every scrap of information on Orochimaru and his plans out of him, especially when she finds out he's Orochimarus second in command" The Hokage said.

"That's why you they gave you the fancy hat, so you can make the hard choices" Arashi said.

Hiruzen chuckled at Arashi wit before he became serious again "Any problems out of him?" he asked gesturing towards Kabuto.

"He's a close range fighter and an expert medic ninja, he also likes to talk and try and egg his opponents on into making mistakes, I put a chakra suppressor on him, so he'll be staying put for quite a while unless someone helps him"

Hiruzen nodded his head at the information "ANBU!" instantly four of the super elite were kneeling in front of the Hokage "Take the prisoner to the isolation cells, no one is to see him unless you hear from me personally, no scrolls, no notes and no word of mouth, fail me in this task and you will be stripped of your ranks and demoted to genin" Hiruzen ordered. The four kneeling Anbu simultaneously shivered at the threat.

"Well Hokage-sama, if you don't need me anymore…" Arashi trailed off hoping that he could get out of there and get some rest.

"You're dismissed, you can give me a full report in the morning"

"Thank you Hokage-sama" Arashi said bowing deeply in a show of respect.

"Yeah, yeah get out here with that" the Hokage said waving him off.

Arashi turned around prepared to leave when he spotted the cat mask Anbu that had escorted him to the Hokage waiting at the end of the hall. As he approached she gestured with her head to follow him, apparently he needed an escort.

"I could find my way, if you want to continue your duties" Arashi said.

"I'm off duty, I only stuck around to thank you for saving the life of my boyfriend" a soft but firm voice said from behind the mask.

"You're welcome, how is Hayate doing? Sorry I had to leave him there or rather my clone did, but he seemed to be having some kind fit?"

"It's okay, he always has that kind of reaction when he pushes himself hard, but he made it to the hospital for treatment so I can yell at him when he wakes up for almost getting killed tonight" she said grimly.

"I'm glad he's going to be okay Anbu-san. Thanks for the escort but this is where we part ways" he said as they exited the building and Arashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind the Cat Anbu to do the same.

Arashi reappeared on the roof of the apartment he shared with Anko, he had practically moved in after their first night together. He was about to scale down the wall and in through the window as per usual when he spotted a shadow moving out of the corner of his eye, he summoned a kunai into his hand and was about to throw it, when the person walked into the light with his hands up.

"Oh it's you, how can I help you Jiraiya?" he asked resealing his kunai.

"Sensei told me about the Hokages Secret and how he sent you off to train with them. I guess you know that I was your fathers teacher?" he asked getting a nod from Arashi " there's nothing to do but come out and say it, your parents also named me your Godfather" he said then waited for some kind of response from the silent blonde.

"Why tell me this? As you can see, I'm already grown and as you have heard I was raised by four of the greatest men and shinobi ever to come out of Konoha. I don't need a father figure, I've had four of them" Arashi said calmly having already known Jiraiya was his Godfather from reading his fathers will when he first came to the village over six months ago.

"I'm telling you this so that I can get to know you. I let bad memories keep me out of Konoha and out of your life for 16 years, I don't want to waste any more time. I want to know the only family I have left" Jiraiya said never breaking eye contact with Arashi.

Arashi looked at Jiraiya steadily, trying to figure out if the man had any motives for suddenly wanting to be a part of his life now "Are you dying or something? Because if you are and you're only coming to seek me out now out of some kind of guilt, we can keep our relationship completely business related with no hard feelings from me"

"No! I'm not dying Kami-sama kid. To be honest I am here out of guilt though, hold on let me finish" he said holding up his palm when it looked like Arashi was about to lay into him "I should have put my duties as your Godfather above my own grief. I'm sorry for running out on you, you needed me more than I needed to drown my sorrows"

"Save your sorry's" Arashi said making Jiraiya flinch slightly and look away "who's to say my life would have been better if you had taken me with you. Jiji told me the only reason I didn't grow up as heir to the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans was because the Hidden Rock as a grudge against my father and the Hidden Cloud tried to abduct my mother once for her special chakra and he feared they would come after me" Arashi released a heavy sigh "You can't tell me that after being a shinobi for as long as you have you don't have enemies as well, having me along would have handicapped you severely, so there is no need to apologize" Arashi said.

Jiraiya released a breath he hadn't known he was holding "Thank you" was all Jiraiya said before he turned to walk back into the shadows.

"Hey, Jiraiya! I was going to just crash out, but would you like to come in for a drink? I'd like to get to know my Godfather as soon as possible" Arashi offered.

"A drink sounds good, lead the way" Jiraiya said.

So Arashi jumped off the roof and began wall walking to his and Ankos apartment followed by Jiraiya, and Godson and Godfather spent the night trading laughs and battle stories over cups of sake well into the night.

**XXxxXX**

'_This is it'_ Arashi thought , he was currently lined up with the rest of the chunin hopefuls in the center of a massive stadium packed to the rafters with people from all walks of life, from simple merchants to nobles from all over the Elemental Continent. The last month has been pretty hectic with Arashi training for the exams while also planning for the invasion.

The Hokage along with the Jonin Commander Shikaku Nara came up with a pretty good counter attack to neutralize Orochimaru. Since we had the plans Kabuto handed off to Baki, Inoichi gave hima false memory of killing Hayate and placed a Yamanaka based memory seal on him before releasing him to continue on as if nothing has changed.

The real gold mine of information came from the broken Kabuto. It took a combination of Anko and Ibiki, mental and physical torture 24/7 for almost a week to break him down. Plans were in place, back up plans were in place all we were waiting for was the catalyst.

**XXxxXX**

Among the attendees in the stadium were members of the rookie nine. Sakura was patiently sitting next to Ino who was still after a month trying to get Sakura to tell her the real reason she backed out of the exams.

"I mean it Fore-head, if you don't tell me what you're planning I'll dive into your brain and get it myself!" Ino threatened.

"For the last time Ms. Piggy, I'm not planning anything. I'm just really going to focus on my training from now on. All that time I spent trying to be the perfect girl for Sasuke and what did it get me? Nothing at all, he barely acknowledges me, even now when we're on the same team. I have one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha has my sensei and did I take advantage of that fact to get stronger? No I didn't" Sakura sighed and shook her head in self- disgust "when I dropped out of the exams, I was completely truthful, I'm not ready, I only survived as long as I have by relying solely and luck on those around me, but that ended a month ago, I will never cower behind someone else and let them defend ever gain"

Ino was speechless, all this time she thought Sakura was trying to pull some kind of elaborate ruse in order to win Sasuke-kun, but she was dead serious about taking her career to the next level _'I think it's time I followed your lead instead of expecting you to follow mine'_ Ino thought to herself.

"That was well said Sakura and I'm glad to hear you're going to be taking your training seriously from now on" Kakashi said from the aisle next to Sakura.

Neither Ino nor Sakura noticed his arrival along with Guy-sensei, Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei how long have you been there?" Sakura asked.

"Long enough to see my student mature before my eyes" Kakashi said eye smiling at her.

"I CAN SEE THE BEGINNINGS OF YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH SAKURA-SAN! I,MIGHT GUY, WILL HELP YOU FAN THOSE FLAMES INTO AN INFERNO!" Guy proclaimed with with fire in his eyes.

Sakura was cringing in her seat away from the loud, big eye browed jonin _'Now I know how everyone else feels when I scream at them'_ "Thank you, Guy-sensei, but I think I'll have to find my own pace for the moment" Sakura said with a nervous chuckle.

"Very well, but know this, the offer is always open, I won't lie and say that the thought of swiping one of Kakashi's promising students is not an unwelcome side effect" Guy said rubbing his chin while smirking at Kakashi.

"I'm sorry guy did you say something?" Kakashi asked when he noticed guy was looking at him.

"DARN YOU KAKASHI! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO COOL?" Guy shouted.

"Guy-sensei! Will you quiet down please? The exams are about to start" Tenten said entering with Kiba Akumaru and Hinata following her down to the seats.

**XXxxXX**

Arashi glanced up at the Hokage sitting up high on a balcony next to the disguised Orochimaru in the Kazekages robes. Arashi was brought out of his contemplation by the arrival of the exam proctor.

"My name is Genma Shiranui, I'll be your proctor, same rules apply here that applied in the prelims, stop when I say stop or be prepared to answer to me. There has been a change of plans , because Dosu Kinuta of the Sound Village seems to have disappeared Choji Akimichi will now face Shino Aburame in the fourth match, now put your game faces on and don't embarrass your village" he said then turned to look at the Hokage awaiting the signal to begin.

As the Hokage rose from his seat to speak the crowd quieted down and gave him there full attention "Once again I would like to congratulate you all on making it this far. This is your moment, show the people what you can do" Hiruzen said talking directly to the fighters "Now let the final stage of the Chunin Selection Exams begin!"

"You heard Lord Hokage…first match Neji Hyuuga vs Arashi! Everyone else clear the arena floor!" Genma ordered.

As the other contestants left the area, Neji and Arashi squared off on the center.

**XXxxXX**

"Pay close attention Hinabi, this is what a true genius of the Gentle fist can do" Hyuuga clan head Hiashi said to his pre-teen daughter seated next to him.

"Yes Father"came the somewhat cold response from Hinabi Hyuuga, second born daughter of the clan head.

**XXxxXX**

"Fate as already decided the outcome of this battle there is no way you can win" Neji said standing across from Arashi with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I make my own fate Hyuuga-san, as should anyone with the will and determination to do so, you obviously have neither if you rely on fate to determine the actions you take" Arashii said standing across from Neji casually with his hands in his pockets.

Nejis cold look of intimidation turned into a glare "Fate cannot be changed, just like I am fated to serve the Main Branch Hyuuga until I die, you are fated to lose to me today"

"If you believed in fate so much you would not be trying to fight it. If you truly believed you're fated to serve, then you would not have tried to kill Hinata-san during the prelims" Arashi sighed before taking his hands out of his pockets and getting into a loose boxing stance "anyway we're not here for a therapy session so save the talking for someone else, I have other things to do today"

"Since you're in such a hurry to be defeated, I'll help you on your way" Neji replied sliding in to the Gentle Fist.

"Are both fighters ready?" Genma asked glancing at both fighters, receiving a nod from both "BEGIN!"

Neji didn't waste any time activating his Byakugan and shooting forward intending to end this as soon as possible but Arashi simply used his superior speed and reflexes to keep out of range of the dangerous and deadly Gentle Fist taijutsu.

Arashi continued to evade Nejis attacks and never once trying to counter. With each missed palm strike or kick Neji was becoming frustrated. "I thought you were supposed to be some kind of elite bounty hunter you're not showing much of anything" Neji said sneering at Arashi and connecting with a palm strike to the center of Arashis chest, Neji smirked in triumph before the smirk turned into a look of surprise when the Arashi he hit turned into a piece of splintered wood.

Using his 360 degree vision Neji saw Arashi appear fifty feet behind him and throw a single kunai. He was about to reach for his own kunai to deflect it but a shout of…

"**Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

Had him abandoning that plan into using a move he had hoped not to reveal until further in the exams.

"**Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!"** Neji announced then began to turn on the spot which soon became a fast spinning dome of blue chakra that deflected all the kunai aimed at him. When Neji came out of the spin he was noticeably fatigued and confused _'What's wrong with me? That took a lot more effort than it should have and caused more chakra then needed. There's no way I should be this tired'_

**XXxxXX**

"Amazing that he can pull off that move without any formal training" Hiashi stated.

"Father what was that?" Hinabi asked.

"The rotation is an advanced move only passed down through the Maine Branch, for Neji to recreate that move just proves he is a genius when it comes to the Gentle Fist" Hiashi explained.

**XXxxXX**

"Something's wrong with Neji!" Tenten said suddenly.

"What do you mean Tenten?" Guy asked looking with concern at Neji.

"I helped Neji train using the rotation and it never left him that fatigued after one use, something's wrong with him" she explained.

Guy stayed silent and kept his eye on the match.

**XXxxXX**

"That was very impressive Hyuuga-san, but you seem a bit confused, is something wrong?" Arashi asked in a concerned manner as he moved to within about ten feet of Neji.

Neji glared at Arashi immediately suspecting him of knowing what was wrong with him "What did you do me?" Neji growled.

"I poisoned you" Arashi said as if telling Neji the time of day.

Neji was so shocked by the answer he would go down in history as the first Hyuuga to ever do a face plant. Neji stood back up quickly though "You poisoned me? Am I dying?" he demanded.

"It's not that kind of poison, it's a slow acting chakra drainer, it's used for chakra purging, normally without any strenuous activity it would take all day before you felt the effects, I put it into your breakfast this morning. It was really the perfect weapon against you seeing as how your fighting style is based around chakra. Now to finish this" Arashi said as he drop to his knees and slammed his blue glowing hands into the ground **"Summoning Art: Chains of the Underworld!"** thick black chains burst out of the ground around Nejis feet and quickly wrapped the Hyuuga from chest to ankle.

"Do you yield or do I finish the jutsu and drag you underground and bury you alive?" Arashi asked hands still connect to the ground.

"You cheated damn it! There is no way you could have beat me other wise!" Neji yelled at Arashi.

"Cheated? Yeah, of course I cheated, it's in the job description as a ninja, we lie, we cheat, we steal to complete the mission. You were given the same instructions that we all received, you were told you had 30 days to prepare a battle strategy for this stage of the exams, it's not my fault you didn't plan as far as disabling your opponent before he even got to the arena. If you actually want to make chunin you better start thinking 20 steps ahead of your opponent and if you live long enough to try for jonin you better be prepared to think 50 steps ahead. Now do you yield?" Arashi asked as he applied more chakra and Neji began to sink into the ground.

**XXxxXX**

"Can he do that?" Tenten asked.

"Like he said, they were not prohibited from attacking each other before the exams, the only instructions they were given was to prepare" Kakashi said.

"It's quite an ingenious way to interpret the rules. While others might take those instructions at face value, Arashi took advantage of the lack of formal rules" Asuma commented on the subject.

"It's also true what he said about planning a head. If you want to move ahead in you careers you will have to learn to plan ahead. Sometimes you will be given a mission with very little information and guide lines and it will be your job to manipulate that information into a successful mission, much like Arashi-san has just done" Kurenai said to the genin.

**XXxxXX**

"Proctor…I yield" Neji said in resignation.

"Winner of the first round…" Genma started to say.

"Naruto Namikaze!"came the shout from the Hokage.

"WHAT?" came the general shout throughout the stadium.

At this pronouncement the entire stadium fell silent. "Yes it is true, 16 years ago on the night of the Nine tailed fox's attack, the wife of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze gave birth to the sole heir of the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure and the sole heir of the Namikaze clan of Konoha. That child now stands before you Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!" Hiruzen announced into the silent stadium.

With that announcement there was a deafening roar of cheers from the attending audience.

For once Arashi was out of his element. Before he left the village at six the only positive contact he had was with his hidden guardians like Kakashi and the Hokage. Sure he got positive reinforcement from his senseis but that was still only four people not a packed stadium of thousands. So he did what any teenager in an uncomfortable situation would do, he blushed up to his headband, gave a nervous wave and hauled ass up to the waiting area.

Arashi made it up to the waiting area only to be greeted with shocked looks from the other participants with the exception of Gaara who was simply ignoring everyone in favor of glaring in the direction of the Hokages Box.

"You're the son of the Fourth? Troublesome…so where you been?" Shikamaru asked.

"Out and about, I was trained outside of Konoha for safety issues. If it was well known by certain people that the legacy of the Fourth was strolling through the village, it would have brought an all new set of problems Konoha couldn't afford at the time and that's all I have to say about that for now" Arashi said moving to the rails and looking out onto the field, a clear sign that he was done speaking on that subject.

**XXxxXX**

"Is he really the son of the Fourth Hokage?" Sakura asked.

"Yes he is, but that's all I'll say, if you want to know anymore you'll have to ask him your-self" Kakashi said.

"How long have you known Kakashi?" Kurenai asked.

"Yes my rival, keeping such a secret is so un-youthful" Guy added.

"I confirmed it after the prelims but I don't know why you all are upset at me, Asuma has known a lot longer than I have" Kakashi trying to divert attention away from himself.

"Thanks a lot Kakashi, look it wasn't my secret to tell, I wasn't about to break a friends confidence" Asuma said lighting a cigarette.

**XXxxXX**

"That was quite the announcement Lord Hokage. Although I was disappointed to learn the last Uchiha was not a part of the final stage the son of the Fourth Hokage is a welcome surprise" the Kazekage said in a whispered monotone.

"Yes I thought it would make quite the impression on every one. He is a fine young man as well as an outstanding shinobi he will someday surpass is father" the Hokage said with confidence.

"You show a lot of confidence in him. Although he showed that he can think, he hasn't shown much else, what can he really do, I wonder?"

"Before the end of this day I guarantee you'll find out"

**XXxxXX**

"Match 2 is about to begin, Temari of the Desert and Shikamaru Nara your up!" Hayate announced.

**(Canon Fight so if you haven't seen it I suggest you watch episode 64)**

Naruto was glad that everyone seemed to put the fact that he was the Fourths son out of their minds, at least for the time being and focus on the match on the stadium floor. Naruto faded into the back of the waiting area near a darkened corner.

"Any problems getting here?" he whispered to the dark corner.

"None at all" was the quiet reply.

"Good, the job I want you to do, can you pull it off?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, it won't be a problem, Good luck Naruto"

"I won't need luck, he won't have anywhere to go and by the time he realizes what's going on he'll already be dead"

Naruto got back to the railing in time to see Shikamaru catch Temari in his **Shadow Possession Jutsu** then forfeit the remainder of the match.

'_This guy is unbelievable, what a lazy bum'_ Naruto thought shaking his head.

"Match 3, Gaara of the Desert and Rock Lee!"

Neither contestant wasted time getting down on the field Gaara utilizing and **Sand Shunshin** and Lee jumping over the rails directly to the ground.

"YES! GUY-SENSEI I WILL NOW SHOW THE WORLD THE POWER OF YOUTH! JUST AS YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME!" Lee proclaimed staring into the stands.

"JUST DO YOUR BEST LEE THAT IS ALL I ASK AND YOU'LL MAKE ME PROUD" Guy screamed giving his student a nice guy pose.

"YES SIR!" Lee said saluting Guy and then turning to face his opponent "Since the prelims when the matches were announce I have been waiting for the opportunity to face you, some one strong. This will be the perfect match to measure my skills" Lee said.

"You defeated Kankuro so easily during the prelims" Gaara said in his usual monotone "you will be perfect to prove my existence"

"Are both of you ready?" Gaara uncorked his gourd by way of answer and Lee got into the Strong Fist stance and nodded his head "BEGIN!"

**(Canon fight, episodes 48 thru 50, sorry folks but I'm too tired by this point to be original)**

Gaara and Lee were both injured and fatigued. Gaara was laid out on his back in a pile of his own sand that he used to cushion the fall of Lee's **Reverse Lotus**. Lee could barely stand up at this point and was looking at Gaara with disbelieving eyes at his survival.

Gaara was looking at Lee with murder in his eyes as he manipulated his sand from his prone position to go on the attack. Lee made to get up and evade the sand but he was hurting too bad to make a serious effort of it. Before Gaara could carry out his attack an explosion of smoke went off in the Hokages Box.

All around the stadium people began to slump over in their seats or wherever they happened to be at the moment. Those people who were waiting for this moment knew what was going on… this was the signal that the invasion had begun.

**XXxxXX**

"It's begun" Naruto said coming up behind Temari and chopping her in the back of the neck knocking her unconscious.

"Shino, Shikamaru take Temari to the old Uchiha Military Police Barracks and lock her up, she's the daughter of the Kazekage, she could be an important part of negotiations later on so keep her alive" Naruto ordered the two genins knowing they were still awake.

"Troublesome…who put you in charge anyway?" Shikamaru asked.

"The Hokage did actually, now get a move on and watch out for that puppet using Sand genin this is his sister so he might come looking for her, capture him if you're able" Naruto ordered before jumping over the rails down to the arena floor. He made his way over to Gaara and Lee who were still facing off a long with Genma and Baki.

"Hey Baki, Your mother was a snow blower!"

"You little shit!" Baki screamed when he faced him instead of Genma "Hush little baby" Naruto said when he made eye contact. Baki collapsed into a boneless heap and began snoring as soon as he hit the ground.

"I see someone paid a visit to Inoichi recently. You know what you're doing?" Genma asked.

"Yeah, but I'm more worried about the easy target Lee's making" Naruto said gesturing towards Lee who was struggling just to stand.

"I'll take care of him, you be careful dealing with the Sand kid something's off about him"

"Don't worry it's taken care off" Naruto said walking up to the slow moving Gaara.

Gaara was shaking the cobwebs from his mind when he noticed the green clad genin being carried away by the proctor.

"NOOO! He will not leave here until he proves my existence!" Gaara snarled. Gaara gathered his sand around him prepared to attack both the proctor and genin and anyone else in the way of his target, but before he could launch an attack he was wrapped in what seemed to be glowing chains. What was most surprising was that it appeared to have went _through_ his sand defense and was chipping away his recently repaired **Sand Armor**.

"What is this?" Gaara snarled.

"This is my **Binding Chakra Chains** and nothing can break through them" Naruto said from behind Gaara.

Gaara turned his head to glare at Naruto "Release me, I have to prove my existence by killing him"

"That's not a very convincing argument for your release" Naruto reached into his hip pouch as he used his **Chakra Chains ** to drag a struggling Gaara closer to him.

"NO… NO! I have to prove my existence, I have to kill him! Let me go!" Gaara screamed as he got closer to the blonde shinobi.

"**Sealing Jutsu: Demonic Suppression Seal!"** Naruto said slapping a seal on Gaaras fore head and rendering his screaming mute as he fell unconscious. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu"** a clone of Naruto appeared next to him "take him to Anbu headquarters they'll know what to do with him.

"On it Boss" the clone said picking up Gaara and slinging him over his shoulder and disappearing in a burst of speed.

Naruto took a moment to look around the stadium, the Sand and Sound ninjas who were able to infiltrate the stadium were being dealt with, with extreme prejudice. He then looked at the battle he knew the Hokage was fighting, he couldn't help but shake his head in sympathy. We knew he was going to do it, Kabuto had spilled the beans on Orochimarus trump card, the **Impure World Resurrection**, to think that Orochimaru used his senseis own jutsu on him. Naruto began to shake in anger at the atrocity.

"Naruto are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready, get me up there Haku"

"As you wish **"Secret Jutsu:Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors!"** Haku said and then stepped into the mirror followed by Naruto.

Naruto stepped out of Hakus mirror within the barrier the Hokage was fighting his ex-student in "Thanks Haku, you can go now and tell Zabuza that he's only allowed to kill the Sand and Sound ninja and no one else especially civilians"

"I'll remind him" Haku said disappearing along with the mirror.

"Enma! Transform into the Adamantine Staff!"

Naruto heard Sarutobi shout.

"Kill them both don't let him transform!"

Naruto shot out of the branches he was on while at the same time pulling out his staff, he aimed for the charging Hashirama Senju and attacked **"Wind Style:Reaper Scythe!"** he said as a blade of wind took shape on the end of his staff turning it into an improvised death scythe as he swung it at the reanimated first Hokage and cut him in half. **"Wind Style:Great Breakthrough!"** Naruro used the jutsu to scatter the two halves of the First Hokage.

He turned to engage the Tobirama Senju but seen that he was already down and Sarutobi was getting his second wind as he twirled his staff around.

"Naruto-kun, how did you get in here?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto shrugged "I had a friend drop me off" he said before turning towards Orochimaru.

"Well, well…the son of the Yellow Flash, what a surprise to find out you were still alive. Had I known you were an option, I might have done things differently. You know your father stole something from me, I should have been named Hokage instead of that brat!" Orochimaru said hissing angrily at the end.

"Yeah, I heard about that temper tantrum you threw after you were denied, something about breaking down and crying over several bottles of sake" Naruto said smirking at the snake sannin.

Ororchimaru hissed angrily and for once lost his ever present smirk "I see you have been talking to Jiraiya, I'll make it a point to kill him after both of you are dead"

Both Sarutobi and Naruto sensed the incoming attacks and while Naruto ducked under the round house kick and countered with a straight jab to the chin of the Hashirama, Sarutobi used Enmas Adamantine form to absorb the kick delivered by Tobirama.

"**Lightening Style:Lightening Rod Jutsu" **Naruto said as he deflected the sword strike aimed at Sarutobis back from Orochimaru.

Orochimaru let out a shriek of pain as the lightening ran through his body. He backed off slightly and smirked "Wind and lightening natures, you're turning out to be a very interesting person Naruto-kun"

"If you really want to see something interesting check this out" Naruto said sticking his staff in the ground next to him and then crossing is arms in an X over chest **"Resistant Seals:Release!"** Narutos entire body exploded in a wave of chakra that made even the zombie corpses of the former Hokages pause in their attacks, then Naruto slowly took his staff from the ground and disappeared.

_**SWOOSH!SCHINK!THUMP!**_

"_**AHHHHHH!"**_

"Is having your arm cut off interesting enough for you, you slimy bastard" Naruto asked the shocked sannin as he held the stump of his arm just above the elbow where Naruto had used the **Reaper Scythe** to cut of the portion that used to be attached below, it now laid on the roof between the two combatants.

"This is for Anko! **Demon Art:Nine tail Poison Miasma!" **Naruto said and then spewed out a red mist from his mouth directly at Orochimaru. Orochimaru was still in shock at having his arm cut off that it took a minute for that shock to give way to the fact that a red mist was currently making its way towards him melting everything in its path. Unfortunately he didn't see it in time to completely evade the mist, he still wound up inhaling a small amount and immediately began choking.

"DROP THE BARRIER NOW! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Ororchimaru demanded of the four Sound ninjas maintaining the barrier jutsu.

Immediately the four dropped the jutsu and scrambled to help there leader escape.

Naruto himself could have chased them down to finish the job he started but he was currently taking deep breaths in order to inhale the miasma before it could cause any collateral damage. When he was sure the coast was clear he sped through the roof to where he had last known the Hokages were fighting.

He found the Hokage sitting on one of the Hokage made tree branches that gave a pretty good view of the village as the sun set. Enma appeared to be long gone and Sarutobi was just sitting cross legged on the branch staring down at his headband in his lap as if he was trying to solve a mystery.

Naruto didn't say a word as he made his way past the dirt covered corpses of Kin Tsuchi and Zaku Abumi and sat next to him on the branch. They sat in companionable silence for a while before the Hokage spoke "I'm too old for this shit"

Naruto laughed lightly at that, and reached into his vest pocket and slid a scroll out. He opened the scroll and released from within it a very expensive bottle of sake. He broke the seal on it before taking a deep gulp and passing the bottle to Sarutobi.

They stayed like that both in their own thoughts, just passing the sake bottle between the two of them until the sounds of battle faded into the night.

**AN: OMG! 17,000 WORDS AND I'M EXHAUSTED. Ladies and gents after all the work I put into this if you're going to review please make it constructive. A lot of time and energy and brain farts went into this chapter and it needs to feel the love. If you got this far you've already read now REVIEW. Next chapter, reactions about Naruto and and a reunion. Any guesses as to what Naruto gave Kakashi after there talk.**

**AN2: I got the idea of the poison miasma from Naraku of Inuyasha in case you were wondering and no I still don't own Naruto or Inuyasha.**


	6. Chapter 6

Flee on Sight

**AN: Warning! Warning! This is a God-like Naruto story, if you do not like stories like this, than please stop here! This story is purely for my own pleasure of having Naruto stomping mud holes in people and walking them dry.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. BUT KISHIMOTO, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, I'M WILLING TO BUY OUT THE FRANCHISE. I HAVE $1.67 CASH AND A PACK OF RAMEN.**

Naruto was of two minds about the upcoming meeting with the entire council. He was dreading the confrontation of the blatant hatred he was likely to receive from the Kyuubi haters, but he was also looking forward to sticking it to any who was going to give him shit about it. He knew this day was coming ever since stepped back into the village, so he had been researching every law in Konoha every chance he got and he had a few surprises that was going to knock everyone on their asses.

It wasn't just laws he was researching, he was also going through his parents personal papers to see if there was anything in there that he could take advantage of and to his surprise there were a few things that made him do a double take more than once. With all the prep work he has done he was fairly certain he wouldn't have any problems sticking it to the council.

It's been just about a week since the failed invasion. Sound and Sand were completely routed and sent home with their tails between their legs. For being a genius, Orochimarus plan was fairly simple, stage one was to have Gaara unleash his Bijuu in the middle of the village to start a terror induced panic among the shinobi and civilians. Then have a few of his snake summons to destroy the outer wall allowing Sand and Sound shinobi to pour in to kill and destroy to their hearts content. All that just so he could isolate and kill one man.

None of it happened as it was supposed to. Teams from chunin to Anbu were already dispatched to deal with the summoning teams at the outer walls. With Narutos **Chakra Chains** Gaara was a non-issue, Narutos only problem was the Hokage insisting on cleaning up his own mess by taking on Orochimaru by him-self knowing full well what trump card the Snake Sannin held up his sleeve.

So instead of trying to talk the old man out of it, Naruto decided to make his own plans and sent for Zabuza and Haku. They were the only other high caliber shinobi he could think of to go to for help. Any one that already knew of the invasion was already assigned a job to do and he didn't know the rookie genin well enough to go to them for help. So the three of them came up with the plan to have Haku, transport Naruto through the ice mirrors inside the barrier. The rest was history.

"Hey Naruto"

Naruto stopped in his contemplation to look at the speaker. It was Kakashi lazing against the wall in the shadow of an alley he was walking past.

"Kakashi-sensei, how's it going?" Ha asked.

"Oh you know same ol, same ol, and you?"

Naruto sighed at the question "On my way to the council chambers for the dog and pony show they have planned for me. You want to come along?"

"Sure I don't have anything to do right now and it would be beneficial for me to be there. Since you were a member of my team I can act as your representative" Kakashi offered.

"No need for that, I'm prepared for whatever they throw at me. The worse they can get away with is banishing me and I'm not too worried about that even. Whatever happens, I come out a lot better than them" Naruto stated smugly.

"Oh really? How can you accomplish that?" Kakashi asked.

"You'll just have to see. But if by some miracle they do beat me in this little game I will miss all the friends I've made in you guys" Naruto admitted.

Kakashi not completely comfortable with the emotional direction the conversation has taken, pulled out his little orange emotional crutch Icha-Icha.

"I'm sure even for just being here for this short of time, you will be missed also"

"Turn off the water works Kakashi. I'm not gone yet" Naruto said sarcastically.

**(Council Chambers) **

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently nursing a headache from the back and forth arguing going on between the civilian council and the shinobi council.

The shinobi wanted to celebrate the fact that not only did the Fourth have a child but that same child was alive and well. Not only that but he was also an extremely well taught shinobi if the rumors of his domination of Neji Hyuuga during their match and the way he subdued the jinchurikki of the one tailed from the Sand Village was anything to go by.

The civilian side of the council however, was calling for the young man's blood. Blatantly calling the Hokage a liar, saying there's no way the _Demon Brat _was the son of their beloved Fourth.

Before the Hokages headache could shift into migraine territory he let out a blast of killing intent to get the attention of those in the room and get some control.

"Before we dissolve into another screaming match on the playground, let's get to the reason for this council meeting shall we? I'll turn the floor over to Han Natsumoto, since it was he that called this meeting" the Hokage said looking at a portly bald man.

Han Natsumoto was the unrecognized leader of the civilian side of the council for the simple fact that he was the riches. Han owned majority of the slaughter houses not only in Konoha but in other towns throughout the Land of Fire. He was wearing a green silk kimono and also had rings on every finger from thumb to pinky to flaunt his wealth.

Although he wasn't the smartest person on the council he also wasn't the dumbest. He was a shrewd business-man he had secrets he had to keep away from the new found Namikaze. The only way to keep those secrets was to get rid of the _Demon Brat _as soon as possible.

"Yes" he said standing to address the council "I have called this meeting to question the validity of the claim that the Fourth had a child, let alone the _Demon Brat_" Han said sneering at the mere mention of Naruto.

As soon as Han finished speaking he was assaulted by the feeling of imminent death. It was like he had a noose around his neck or a knife to his throat slowly be drawn across it. He fell back into his seat gasping for breath before the feeling left him. He looked around the room to see if anyone was effected and saw that those on the civilian side were in similar conditions to himself, but those on the shinobi said were less so. He looked to the Hokage to ask what happened when he looked into the eyes of death itself. In all his years on the council he had never been on the other side of a look so full of murder.

"Before I respond to your inquiry, I would like to remind everyone in this room that my law about referring to Narutos status as jinchurikki of the Nine- talied fox is still in effect. Mentioning of that is still punishable by death, since it has been years since this law has actually had to be enforced you are allowed one warning before I kill you myself. Is that clear?" Sarutobi asked coldly. Even though he was staring at Han as he was speaking the other people in the room also knew he was speaking to them as well.

"Ye.. yes Lord Hoakge please forgive the slip" Han stammered.

"Because of Naruto, we were fore warned about my ex- students attempt at an invasion. If it had not been for him we would be planning a mass funeral for all the shinobi we loss most likely including myself. Instead we only sustained minor injuries and superficial damage to the outer walls" he paused momentarily to glance around the room "I will not have Naruto disrespected after he saved so many lives, yours included, in case you haven't noticed" Sarutobi reached in to his Kage robes and pulled out a folder and first passed it to his left, where his ex- teammate and now council elder Koharu Utatane sat.

"What is this Sarutobi?" Koharu asked before she opened it and her perpetually closed eyes widened.

"That Koharu is the blood test done by an impartial doctor at the hospital. It's a DNA test confirming that Naruto is the biological child of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. There is no denying him his rightful place within Konoha" Sarutobi stated.

The folder made the rounds around the table, some people scrutinizing the results as if trying to find fault and some just passed it along not needing proof at all.

"So where has he been all this time Sarutobi, most here were under the impression that he disappeared ten years ago" Danzo Shimura asked. Danzo was Hiruzens former rival in every-thing, he was even considered a candidate for 3rd Hokage. He was a very militant man, his nindo was "he could never go too far for his village" and he lived by that. He was willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to achieve his goal of having a military dominant Konoha on top of the Elemental Nations.

Danzo was also the leader of a secret group of elite shinobi known only as Root. His Root soldiers were taught two things under Danzos instruction, complete loyalty to Danzo and do anything to complete the mission. When he noticed the absence of the Kyuubi vessel he immediately deployed his best Root trackers to find him. Unfortunately he never found any clue as to where the living weapon got to. He couldn't come right out and ask Sarutobi back then because he was ordered to stay away from the boy.

"Ten years ago several retired Konoha shinobi offered to teach Naruto to defend himself from the constant attacks he had to suffer from. These men had my trust, so I gave them permission to train Naruto away from the village for his safety" the Hoakge said.

"Why weren't we notified of this, we as the council had a right to know" Homura Mitokado asked. He was also an ex-teammate of the Hokage from his genin days and an elder member of the council.

"You weren't told because the last time, I gave this council such sensitive information it was leaked out in to the general public within an hour!" Hiruzen growled out. It was true less than an hour of Hiruzen informing the council of Naruto's status, there was the first attempt on his life from the nurse whose care he was under.

"We should have been informed Lord Hokage, are we not all here to protect Konoha" Misa Tetsumiya asked. Misa Tetsumiya was a severe looking woman with a full head of gray hair in a bun on top of her head. She was the head administrator for the civilian school in the village.

"Understand something all of you, this council was formed to be an aide to the Hokage. I take your suggestions under advisement and nothing more. I rule this village and unless you want to leave, I rule you as well" Hiruzen said coldly making the civilian half gape at him and the shinobi half smirk at the shocked expressions.

Sarutobi was about to continue on in a rant when there was a knock on the chamber doors "Enter!"

When the big double doors were opened Naruto strolled in followed by Kakashi, both looked like completely apathetic to their surroundings. They stopped in the center of the semi-circle wooden table that was the council table.

"Naruto-kun, Kakashi-kun what are you doing here?" the Hokage asked.

"I was told I had to appear before the council at this time, to be formally charged" Naruto said simply.

"_**WHAT?"**_ the Hokage growled out between clenched teeth.

"Yep, according to this summons" Naruto said and reached into his flak jacket and pulled out a scroll "it says I'm being charged with desertion and enlisting under false pretenses. If found guilty I face either banishment or execution" Naruto said calmly.

"Naruto let me see that scroll for a moment" the Hokage quickly read through the scroll and it was exactly as it said.

"You think I'll let you go forward with this farce of a trial?" the Hokage asked eyeing the civilian council who were now sweating at the killing intent leaking off the Hokage.

"You have no choice Sarutobi, the charges have been formally filed and voted on by majority of the council" Danzo said.

"You would know Danzo, I see your signature along with my good friends Homura and Koharu"

Homura and Koharu had the decency not to be able to look Sarutobi in the eye after that.

"Well let's get this started"

"One moment please Lord Hokage, Kakashi what are you doing here?" Jonin Commande and father of Shikamaru Nara, Shikaku Nara asked lifting his head from the council table as per usual while in council chambers.

"Well I ran into Naruto while he was making his way here, I offered to be his representative and stand with him seeing as I was his jonin-sensei if only for a short amount of time" Kakashi explained.

The Hokage cleared his throat to regain the attention of those in the room "Naruto Namikaze you're charged with 1 count of desertion and 1 count enlisting under false pretenses. How do you plead?" Hiruzen asked staring at Naruto.

"Not guilty and guilty" he said.

There was a burst of chatter from the civilian side of the room when he made his plea. The Hokage quickly got them under control before the noise could build up.

"Quiet! Quiet! Now, Naruto would you please explain yourself?" Sarutobi asked.

"Sure, I am not guilty of desertion because not only was I a civilian at the time of my leaving I was also given permission by the Hokage himself. I am guilty of enlisting under false pretenses as I was going by the name Arashi instead of by my birth name" Naruto explained perfectly calmly and succinctly.

"There you have it he has confessed I say we call for a vote of execution" Han said from his spot at the table.

"Hahahahahaha!" Naruto laughed coldly freezing the rest of the civilians from agreeing with the fat man "I don't think you all truly understand what you are doing here"

"What the hell would you know monster? Respect your betters!" Han snarled.

"Don't make me kill you fat man, you'll be bending over for real demons in hell before you even realize you're dead" Naruto said with so much chill his breath could be seen in the air.

Han's eyes went wide at the threat before he remembered who he was actually talking to and sat down.

"Now as I was saying, you don't fully understand what you are doing because if you had, you would not be trying to cripple your own village like this" Naruto said.

"What does that mean boy?" Danzo asked condescendingly.

"I don't see a boy anywhere in this room, unless you're looking down the front of your pants" Naruto replied.

There were muffled snickers from the members of the shinobi council and cries of outrage from the civilians.

"Quiet! Naruto-kun please go on"

"Firstly trying to have me killed would most likely end with the complete slaughter of a good number of your shinobi forces, now don't get excited" Naruto said holding up a hand because he saw a few people about to open there mouths and say something stupid most likely "not to brag but my record speaks for it-self"

The shinobi council and even the elders and Danzo couldn't ignore that. In just a years- time 'The Perfect Storm' has become a name spoken with fear and respect even in shinobi circles.

"Secondly as the Head of the Namikaze, Uzumaki and Senju clans, I would be taking any and all contributions ever given to Konoha over the years as well as alliances"

It even took the Hokage a few minutes to quiet down the denials of Narutos claim to being the head of the Senju clan.

"How can you claim to be the head of the Senju clan when we all know that Tsunade is the last Senju therefore the head of the clan!" Koharu said.

"Let me explain a little history to you. The Uzumakis of Uzushiogakure have had a long standing alliance with Konohagakure. This alliance was cemented with the marriage of Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju. Mito Uzumaki was the great aunt of Kushina Uzumaki…my mother, making me the great-great nephew of Mito Uzumaki" Naruto paused there to make sure everyone was paying attention "A little more history for you is that the Senju were and always have been a shinobi clan and in order to claim head of clan status you must be an active shinobi. Lord Hokage when was the last time Tsunade has taken a mission from the village?" Naruto asked the Hoakge.

"It's been well over ten years" the Hokage said smirking at where his surrogate grandson was going. He wasn't the only one, the shinobi half also knew where he was going with his question. The three elders were grimacing at the conclusion they were coming to.

"Since the civilian council seems to be confused let me clarify, in order to be considered an active shinobi you must take at least 1 mission a year and because Tsunade has not taken a mission in over ten years and I have been an active shinobi for over six months, she is ineligible to take the title of clan head" Naruto said a little too smugly.

The civilians were stuck with their mouths open while most of the shinobis were clearly enjoying Naruto taking it to the civilians.

"While we are on the subject of the Senju clan, if I am banished that also opens the door for me to take any alliances held by any of my clans and as you know the Hidden Leaf Village was founded on the alliance of the Senju and Uchiha clans"

"There is no way Sasuke Uchiha would ever go with you!" an anonymous civilian snarled.

"That may be true, but Sasuke Uchiha is only the last Uchiha in _Konoha_ and if I _am_ banished that leaves the door open to offer asylum to where ever I happen to go to _Itachi_ Uchiha" Naruto said fully eye smiling at the shocked faces of everyone on the council, Hokage included.

"Naruto, you can't be serious!" the Hokage asked shocked.

"I'm very serious. It's a big dangerous world out there Hokage-sama, if I'm to go out there alone, I would feel a lot more comfortable having someone of Itachi's caliber watching my back. I'm sure we can get past his criminal status, it'll be a fresh start for both of us" Naruto said.

"If I may say something Hokage-sama" Kakashi said stepping up next to Naruto "If Naruto is going to be banished then as his brother and a member of the Namikaze clan I will be going with him" Kakashi said calmly while everyone from the civilians to the shinobis were coming out of their seats in protest.

"Kakashi, what is this non-sense about being a Namikaze? There is no way that's possible, what are you playing at?" Koharu demanded.

Kakashi walked forward while reaching into his flak jacket and pulled out the same file folder Naruto gave him after their talk in the Forest of Death and gave it to the Hokage.

Hiruzen opened the file and as he read it his eyebrows went into his hairline and disappeared.

"What is it Hokage-sama?" Tsume Inuzuka asked.

"They're adoption papers dated Oct.9 one day before the Nine tails attack, adopting Kakashi into the Namikaze clan" the Hokage said blinking slowly.

There was a round of silence following this announcement.

"Well I think that is all I have to say in my defense, what is your verdict and punishment?" Naruto asked.

There was a deathly quiet in the chambers when Naruto was finished talking. He took a look around and was not surprised to find that the shinobi half of the council were very smug in the obvious outcome of this farce of a trial the civilians looked like they ate something that was about to make a return visit.

"Naruto-kun, will you step into the hall while we deliberate?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama" Naruto said bowing and turned on his heel and headed for the door with Kakashi a step behind him.

Once Naruto and Kakashi were out in the hall with the doors closed behind them, they turned almost in unison and eye smiled at each other.

"That was a lot more fun than I thought it would be" Naruto said.

"I know what you mean, normally the only way I get to ruffle the councils feathers would be to show up later than usual but this was 10 times better" Kakashi replied.

"So what do you want to do while we wait?"

In response Kakashi reached into his hip pouch and pulled out two orange books, one he kept for him-self the other he handed to Naruto.

"I think as your big brother that I should help you expand your mind with classic literature" Kakashi said.

****

While Naruto was making the Konoha council look like idiots, word had spread to other parts of the Elemental Nations about the newly discovered heir of the late Fourth Hokage. In Amegakure this news was especially pleasing to a man in a black cloak with red clouds on it, he was also wearing an orange spiral mask. This man was currently looking out over the Hidden Rain Village from one of its tallest towers plotting his next move.

Standing next to him was a tall man with short orange spiky hair with multiple piercings in his nose and ears he also was wearing a black cloak with red clouds.

"I'm sending Zetsu to confirm the rumors of the Fourth Hokages Legacy. If it's true then our plans will proceed and we may begin to collect the host and seal away the bijuu" the orange haired man said in a monotone voice.

"Yes, tell Zetsu to be careful, this boy dropped off the map for ten years, there's no telling what kind of training he's had, if he's announcing his presence now that means he's ready for what the world is going to throw at him" Spiral mask said.

"You sound worried, don't be, nothing can kill a god"

"Careful Pein, haven't you ever heard that when Gods become arrogant that is when they become mortal"

****

"Tsuchikage-sama! Tsuchikage-sama!" a flustered jonin from the encryption department of the Hidden Rock Villages Anbu screamed as he ran into the office of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki of Both Scales.

"Stop shouting damn it! I'm old not deaf!" Onoki snapped at the out of breath jonin.

"I'm sorry Onoki-sama but we just deciphered a letter from our spy in the Leaf Village" he said handing over the letter to his leader.

Onoki snatched the letter from him and read it. As he read it his normally scowled faced smoothed out into an unreadable mask of cold indifference. He looked up at the waiting jonin and spoke "Send a letter back, I want this verified now. Tell our spy I want every single scrap of information pertaining to this person sent to me immediately. If he's right he will be given a heroes welcome, if he's wrong, it will be less painful for him to turn him-self into the Konoha Interrogation Department than if I get my hands on him"

"Yes sir Lord Onoki" the frightened jonin replied and ran from the office.

Once he was alone Onoki read the letter again not believing that the man that decimated his army and crippled his village in a single battle during the Third Shinobi War actually had a child. He reached over and thumbed the intercom button "Yuuna"

"Yes Onoki-sama?" his secretary replied.

"Call the Council together we have an important issue to discuss"

****

"Ack! COUGH!…COUGH!...COUGH!" deep wheezing breaths could be heard following the rasping coughs of the Snake Sannin Orochimaru "Where the hell is Kabuto! Have you found him yet?"

"No Orochimaru-sama, we've sent messages to all of our outposts but so far no one has reported seeing him since well before the invasion" Sakon reported on bended knee in front of his lord.

Orochimaru him-self was lying in the medical wing of his main base in the Land of Rice. Using his **Body** **Shedding Jutsu** he was able to regenerate his lost arm but that wasn't the problem, the problem was that poison mist he inhaled. It was slowly eating away at his insides and nothing he did seemed to get rid of it only slow it down.

"Either…Kabuto has betrayed me… or the most….likely scenario was he …was captured before the invasion. That would explain….why it failed…so miserably. Just to be sure…Kabuto is to be brought to me alive… if found I want… answers for his disappearance…Kidomaru and Jirobo…you two go to the Southern Base…bring Karin to me…Sakon and Tayuya…go to the Land of Sea…bring me Amachi NOW!" Orochimaru words were interspersed with wet wheezing breaths.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama!" the Sound Four exclaimed as the quickly left there masters presence to do his bidding.

'_You will pay 100 times over for what you did to me Naruto Namikaze! If it's the last thing I do I will send you screaming from this world!' _Orochimaru swore in his head.

****

There was a steady stream of raised voices coming from the inner chambers of the Sand Advisory Council. The entire council, not to mention civilians were in a state of perpetual panic. The village was in complete lockdown waiting for the hammer to drop from Konoha from there failed attempt of an invasion and the willful breaking of the peace treaty between the two villages.

"Order! Order! We will get nothing done if we can't even hear what is being said" a member of the council said.

"Now Baki, you were sent here with terms of surrender correct?"

"Yes sir, I was" Baki said nodding his head "The Hokage has given us two options either we can declare a full out war in which case without Gaara as a trump card we would be decimated within the year and be replaced as one of the Five Great Villages. Our second option would be a new treaty only this time cemented with a marriage"

"So either we prepare for war or we give them a bride? The choice seems simple, scoop up someone off the street and teach them to play the house wife for one of Konohas stupid councilmen" a member of the council suggested which got nods of agreement from majority of the others in the room.

"Honorable Councilman I'm afraid there is not possible" Baki said interrupting the council's plans before they could build up steam.

"Why not Baki?"

"Terms of the marriage, both potential husband and wife must be of prominent standing in their villages, they must both be marriageable age with not more than a five year age difference and must be able to have children. They both must have a prominent shinobi lineage although they both do not have to be active shinobi, if either are active shinobi they will be given dual citizenship as well as any children from the union?"

"Kami, they're not asking for much are they?" a councilwoman asked sarcastically "What news is there on the children of the Fourth Kazekage?"

"I've spoken to Temari and Kankuro, they are both being treated as well as can be expected. They were questioned but not tortured. When I went to see Gaara he was….sleeping" Baki said the last word in wonder.

Everyone in the council chambers looked at Baki in complete shock, they were well aware that Gaara never slept it was impossible without him going on a rampage and releasing the one tailed Shukaku.

"How is that possible" a member whispered.

"Apparently he had a faulty seal that didn't completely lock away the consciousness of the Shukaku and that allowed it to corrupt Gaara whenever he slept. As a show of good faith the Hokage had Jiraiya of the Sannin fix Gaaras seal" Baki explained.

"This is too much in one sitting" a graying councilman said wiping his hand down his face "how about we put together a list of candidates for marriage and get this over with?"

"Whoa! Who said that we're just going to knuckle under? Let's fight, that's what this invasion was about right? To show the other villages we are still one of the Great Five!" A councilwoman exclaimed.

"Fight with what? Most of our experienced fighters were either gravely injured or killed during the invasion, our ultimate weapon is most likely taking a nap in a Konoha cell at the moment and because it was us that broke the treaty I doubt any other village will line up to fight next to us for fear of a similar betrayal. Not to mention we are currently leaderless, it has been confirmed the Kazekage has been dead for quite some time. We have nothing to fight with, at least not yet, we need this time to rebuild our forces before our fears of being replaced as one of the Great Five become a reality"

"Fine" the councilwoman begging for a fight relented "do we even have candidates for the marriage?"

"At the top of the list are the children of the late Kazekage, being children of the Kazekage and all powerful in their own right they are perfect candidates"

"We can't take the risk of Gaara defecting to Konoha permanently once he has dual citizenship. Kankuro is the holder of a closely guarded Suna Village secret, the Art of Puppetry, we also cannot take the chance of just handing over such a secret to another village, ally or not. The obvious choice is Temari, she will do what is right for the village, just as she has been taught" a councilman explained "Baki did the Hokage send a list of candidates?"

"Yes sir, I have the list here" Baki said reaching into his flak jacket he quickly scanned the list, seeing as how they had settled on Temari has the sacrificial bride some of the candidates on the Konoha list were non-options such as Asuma Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake and Hinata Hyuuga "After eliminating some people on the list it stands as Shikamaru Nara heir of the Nara, Sasuke Uchiha last member of the Uchiha clan residing in Konoha, Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Namikaze" as Baki read out the list there was a constant stream of murmurs from the members of the council the murmurs increased in volume as he read each name until he said Namikaze when the chamber went silent once again.

"Namikaze? as in the Yellow Flash?"

"Are you saying there is a possibility we could have descendants of the Yellow Flash loyal to the village?"

"Forget about the Namikaze, we have an opportunity to get the Sharingan or the Byakugan"

"Konoha would never give us an unsealed Hyuuga they love their bloodlines as much as any village would, except the Mist and secondly do you really want to chance another Uchiha massacre, instead this time they wipe out the entire village not just themselves? Most importantly do you really think Lady Temari would allow her children to be used as breeding factories? At least it has already been proven it only takes one Namikaze to turn a war or kill an army"

"So we are in agreement Temari will be wed to Naruto Namikaze as soon as possible"

"Ahem…Excuse me Honorable Council but I have been a loyal shinobi of the Hidden Sand all my life and I never shirked my duties no matter what they were, I have always given my all to any assignment given to me" Baki said staring around him at each member of the council.

"We all know this Baki you are one of our most exemplary shinobi and no one here questions your loyalty or courage, what is the point you are trying to make"

"My point… Honorable Council is that I would rather walk up to Gaara and call him sissy than to tell Temari that she is going to be married off to a complete stranger" Baki said, then turned on his heel leaving the chambers and the council members with sweat drops on their heads .

****

Back in Konoha, Naruto was sitting at a table with Kakashi, Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai. They were discussing Narutos run in with the council.

"So all I had to do was pay a $200 fine for enlisting under false pretenses, I was even promoted to chunin and now here we are celebrating" Naruto said raising his saucer of sake.

"Congratulations on the promotion Naruto, you certainly have the skills to be a chunin, hell you have the skills to be a jonin" Asuma said reaching for a smoke.

"No experience leading a team is what held me back from being a jonin, I'm used to working alone most of the time"

"Why are you in such a rush to be made jonin?" Kakashi asked.

"Not really a rush but I did make a promise to a few people that I would try to be there jonin sensei when the time came and I always try to keep my promises"

"Yeah I heard the brat begging the old man to hurry and promote you, I just figured it was…" Asuma suddenly stopped talking and couldn't control the full body shudder and the feeling of dread that quickly filled his stomach then left.

"Asuma you okay?" Kurenai asked in concern for her not so secret boyfriend.

"Yeah it felt like impending doom and…" he stopped as Kakashi picked up where he left off.

"A feeling of dread that quickly filled your stomach then left, right?" Kakashi asked looking at Asuma curiously.

"Yeah that's right" Asuma answered confused.

"Uh guys? You said this feeling in your stomach was supposed to leave right? Well why the hell isn't it leaving me?" Naruto asked concerned.

"Maybe it was something you ate?" Gai guessed.

Narutos answer was cut off as his chair was pulled back from the table and a purple haired interrogation artist straddled his lap before she started grinding into his crotch.

"Anko-san please! That is such an un-youthful public display" Gai chastised.

Anko completely ignored him and kept her focus on the man in front of her "I've been looking for you for the last hour, if you don't get me home and fuck me into oblivion in the next 3 seconds I'm going to take you right here right now" Anko whispered.

"Okay guys got to go see when I see you!" Naruto announced before he stood with Anko wrapped around his waist and disappeared flash of lightening.

****

**(Lemon)**

They reappeared in the bedroom of the apartment they shared. Anko was frantically tearing at both of their clothes, Naruto wasn't sure how it happened but he blinked twice and suddenly they were both standing there, staring into each others' eyes slightly panting from the kiss session buck naked, even Narutos mask was gone showing his three whisker like marks on each cheek and his angular face.

Naruto pulled Anko back into his embrace and kissed her deeply while maneuvering her towards the bed, when the back of her knees forced her onto the bed, Naruto followed on top of her never letting up as their tongues wrestled for dominance. Naruto pulled away from the kiss to stare down at the dazed beauty beneath him.

He kissed her lips softly before moving down to kiss her chin, then her throat before trailing kisses along her collarbone and then the pointed tips of her hard pink nipples where he sucked them into his mouth like a dying man quenching his thirst, earning a hissing breathing from Anko who clearly enjoyed it as she pushed her breast further into his mouth.

He went from one breast to the other and back again before abandoning the soft mounds and trailing more kisses down her toned stomach to her plump slit that was streaming pure want. He eagerly feasted on her womanhood enjoying every shudder he caused, every cry of ecstasy and even the way she pulled his hair trying to get him to deeper if possible. He was so in the moment he didn't realize he was moaning into her pussy and that the moans were traveling throughout her body which caused her thighs to clench around his head as she came with a shuddering cry.

Naruto didn't give her a chance to come down off her orgasmic high, he pried her thighs from around his head and immediately went back to his feast only this time the moaning was done on purpose to give her one long drawn out orgasm that left her boneless when he finally relented.

He kissed his way back up her body stomach, breast collarbone, lips and even kissed her closed eyelids. He held his weight off her with his elbows and lined himself up with her slick folds but didn't enter her. He waited until she opened her eyes, he waited until those amber orbs were staring back into his blue ones before he thrust into her welcoming center and the spark of lust was reignited in her eyes. He moved within her with long deep strokes, an almost lazy rhythm in order to build her up for another grand release. He wanted to imprint his every movement into her memory, when she would urge him to go faster he would simply stop his movements altogether until she begged him to move.

It was sweet torture for the both of them as Ankos husky whispers in his ear telling him to pound her deeper and harder and Narutos refusal to comply had them both on the razors edge of their control. They both knew what Naruto was waiting for, they had both played the sexual dominance game before, Naruto was waiting for Ankos unconditional surrender which has been a while in coming.

"You know what I want Anko" Naruto said as he thrust deeply until their pelvises were smashed against each other "Say it, say the words" Naruto whispered in her ear as thrust once again.

Anko whimpered as she felt him so deep within her, she laid back on the bed writhing beneath him as he pushed in and out of her. Once Naruto stopped again she just couldn't take it anymore, she looked deep in his blue eyes before she whispered "I'm yours, all of me, mind, body and soul, everything"

Naruto grinned down at the beautiful women and kissed her so deeply it stole her breath. When he pulled back and readjusted his position by hooking her left leg over his right arm "You deserve a reward" Naruto whispered before sound mixed with touch and became liquid heat as Naruto did away with his previous rhythm and pounded into Anko as she clung to him accepting every deep thrust with searing pleasure.

Each thrust sent a tingle throughout Anko, until her entire body clenched in one hard drawn out orgasm, her pleasure was double as she felt the warm splash of Narutos cum flow into her and his body fall boneless on top of her.

They both laid there, there sweat slicked bodies clinging to each other as they regained their breath.

Anko was dazedly looking at the ceiling trying her hardest to understand where exactly she lost control of her-self, she looked into Narutos warm and understanding eyes and realized she had never been in control of this relationship from the very beginning and surprisingly she was okay with that.

****

"He really threatened to team up with Itachi Uchiha if he was banished? HAHAHAHAHA!" Jiraiya couldn't possible hold back his laughter after imagining the councils face when that came up "Oh man priceless, sorry I missed that" Jiraiya wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Yes, I would have found it amusing as well if I knew about it a head of time but I was just as surprised" Hiruzen said.

Jiraiya was still chuckling softly when he said "Is that why you called me here, to let me in on the joke?"

"Not at all, something Naruto pointed out to me was how long it has been since Tsunade has actually been of service to Konoha. I feel I've done more arm then good by allowing her to wallow in her grief for so long Jiraiya-kun" Hiruzen said sighing sadly.

"It's always easier to say something was a good or bad idea after the decision is already made. You did what you thought was a good idea at the time only now does it look like a bad idea"

"Regardless it's been too long, I have two missions for you Jiraiya, they're both are of utter importance" the Hokage said swiveling in his chair to look at his student who was leaning against the window sill as usual.

Jiraiya didn't say anything but he gave his sensei his full attention.

"I want you to find Tsunade and bring her back here. Do whatever it takes, blackmail, knock her out and drag her if need be but I want her back here as soon as possible"

Jiraiya nodded his head knowing that the old man was very serious about that "Can I take Naruto? With him being the Senju clan head it could only add more authority to your words"

"Yes I was going to have Naruto go with you anyway, because the second mission will require both of you" Hiruzen said looking Jiraiya in the eye.

"What would that be Hokage-sama?" It was very rare for Jiraiya to refer to the old man by his title. He only did it in the rare occasion when he was receiving orders from _The God of Shinobi or The Professor_ which had not been since the end of the Third Shinobi War, the man who took the hat after the death of his apprentice was, he was sad to say going through the motions most of the time, but not this man who was looking him in the eye as if he was looking at his soul.

"Before you go after Tsunade, I want you to finish what Orochimaru started, he brought war to our doorstep Jiraiya, he desecrated the memories of two men who I wouldn't hesitate to give my life for, I should have put him down a long time ago and I'm sorry to ask this of you but I want Orochimaru dead. Any semblance of the Hidden Sound village is to be obliterated and anyone wearing the symbol of that village is to be killed. Between you and Naruto I don't doubt your success"

"When do we leave?" Jiraiya asked without hestating.

"If I know Naruto he's celebrating his promotion so don't expect him to be %100 tomorrow, day after maybe if I can get a message to him telling him he'll be going on a mission"

****

**I know it's shorter than last couple of chapters but this is basically a reaction chapter to Narutos coming out. I know I didn't do everybody but they'll get their chance so don't worry. Hopefully y the time you finish reading this my poll will be up on my profile for Narutos summoning contract.**

**Toad**

**Dragon (Lost Namikaze Contract)**

**Fox **

**Phoenix (Uzumaki Summoning Contract)**

**Also I'll take suggestions. Read and Review, help me to help you.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: I know what you're thinking "YES! Thank you God for allowing Jrf Steel to once again grace us with his wise words and superb story telling" Unfortunately, my computer is still out of order but I was able to borrow this one for a short time and in that time I will do my best to update as much as I can in between working and sleeping. I also have a new story or two I have to get out of my head so you're in for a Holiday treat. Now on to the story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other anime or manga I will most likely borrow ideas from. **

**Be warned, story contents include violence, strong language and strong sexual content. Parental discretion advised.**

**(Ankos apartment)**

Naruto awoke the next morning to the sound of banging dishes coming from the kitchen of Ankos apartment. He gave himself over to a full body stretch before climbing out of bed. He looked around the room blurry eyed before spotting a towel slung at the foot of the bed, tying the towel around his naked body he followed the noise to the kitchen and spied his ex-lover, now full- fledged girlfriend. She was wearing a white silk robe that only went down to her upper thigh and her hair was wet from an obvious shower. As she stood on her toes to open a high cupboard her robe rose up along with her arms and it was quite obvious she had nothing on beneath it.

"What are you looking for?" Naruto commented.

Anko spun around with a look of surprise on her face not having heard him approach. The surprise melted away into sheepish look of embarrassment "I wanted to make you breakfast" she said a little nervously.

Now it was Narutos turn to look surprised "I didn't know you could cook. All we've ever done is eat out."

"Well, the truth of the matter is, I'm completely lost when it comes to a stove and a kitchen, but out in the open at a campsite you'd think you were at a five start restaurant." Anko said smirking.

"Oh?" he asked raising his eyebrows "Then what's the special occasion?"

Ankos features softened as she stared into Narutos eyes "This is a new experience for me. I haven't let myself care this deeply for another person in a long time and I'm just trying to do things right."

Naruto moved to stand in front of Anko and pulled her into a hug "This is my first real relationship as well. We've done great so far by just being us. So you don't have to change your- self to fit some kind of perfect girlfriend mold." he then held Anko at arms- length so he could look into her beautiful amber eyes "We have something Anko, do you really believe I could practically move in with you after only one night together if we didn't?"

Anko stared back at him before a very familiar smile adorned her face and as quick as one of her summons she belted him with a right hook that snapped his head to the side.

Naruto has been hit a lot harder in his life time but he still felt that one. He looked at Anko while messaging his jaw, she still had that damnable smirk on her face "What the hell was that?"

"That was for making me care enough to doubt myself!" she snapped back.

"Crazy broad" Naruto muttered behind the hand he was still using to massage his jaw.

"What?"

"Nothing, I didn't say anything" he replied quickly.

"Good, because there is something I want to talk to you about." she said as she walked back towards the bedroom with Naruto following behind her.

Naruto stood in the doorway of the bedroom as Anko dropped her bathrobe and rummaged in her closet for one of her mesh body suits. He stayed silent and enjoyed the show as she wiggled into the outfit and grinned lecherously as she jiggled in all the right places.

"Can I have your attention please?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"I heard every word you said."

"I haven't said anything yet" she said exasperated.

"Oh"

Anko sighed heavily and shook her head. "What I wanted to talk to you about was your new status as a clan head. We haven't talked about it before because it wasn't a reality, no one knew who you were then but now they do."

"Yes I had quite the meeting with the entire council yesterday, it's not officially written into the village records yet but I am the Head of my own clan. I'm going to guess that, what you're getting at is the Clan Restoration Act."

"I just want to know what my role will be when the time comes." Anko said.

Naruto could see the tension in Ankos body as if she was waiting for a physical blow, so he gave her the unvarnished truth as he saw it. "Your role will be the same as any other wife I have, you will be my best friend, my lover and my life partner. Does that answer your question?" Naruto saw the tension leave her body as soon as he said wife.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said anything about being a wife? I didn't say I was going to marry you!" Anko exclaimed as she shook her head and waved her arms frantically. "Look, lets' take things one step at a time here." Anko said as she expertly tied her hair up in her usual ponytail and grabbed her trench coat and ninja tools and headed for the front door.

Naruto just stepped aside as she made her way out of the bedroom and did his best to keep from laughing out loud as he heard her mutterings about presumptuous blondes not even asking first before declaring someone to be their wife. Naruto headed straight for the shower figuring since he was already up he should get started on his day.

**(Training Ground 10)**

Training ground ten was laid out similar to the other training grounds scattered amongst the Hidden Leaf Village. But instead of an open grass field surrounded with trees, this area was half a grass field and just at the edges of the grass was the beginning of a deep rocky valley similar to a quarry. Shikamaru loved this area, it afforded him nice shade while also giving him open space for his favorite past time of cloud watching which he was currently doing with the rest of Team Ten while waiting on their sensei.

"So Shika, how's it feel to be a chunin?" Choji asked the newly promoted Nara lounging in the grass beside him.

Shikamaru sighed as he took his eyes of the clouds to focus on his best friend who was seated next to him going to work on his third bag of chips in the 30 minutes they had been waiting. "It's so troublesome. My mom's really on my case now that I got promoted. She's making my dad train me every chance he gets, I'm barely getting my twelve hours of sleep since I've been promoted. What a troublesome woman."

"You lazy bum!" Ino snapped. "You're the only person I know who would complain about getting promoted, and you even got promoted on your first try. I swear if you actually had any ambition you would be the most dangerous person in the village." Ino chimed in from the tree she was leaning on reading a magazine. "If you're not complaining about things being troublesome, you're playing shogi or cloud watching maybe, if Yoshina-san saw you putting in a little more effort without being badgered into it she would back off a little."

"Please, if my mom saw me taking initiative towards anything besides getting out of more work she would probably turn me over to the Torture and Interrogation Department to find out what happened to her real son." Shikamaru replied.

"Hahahahaha…..she wouldn't be the only one wondering if you had been replaced with a spy." Choji said, laughing at the idea of Shikamaru putting in more work than he had to.

"You're both hopeless.s" Ino said going back to her magazine.

Choji finished off his latest bag of chips and then sprawled out on the grass next to Shikamaru to get in some quality cloud watching before their sensei showed up. "How are the clouds today?" he asked.

"Great" Shikamaru responded "A nice clear blue sky as a backdrop to the white puffy clouds that remind of my pillow at home, perfect day for cloud watching." Shikamaru said in an almost reverent tone.

Conversation stopped for the moment as both Choji and Shikamaru basked in the glory of doing nothing, the only sound through the training ground was the steady breathing of the 3 people there and the occasional turn of a page from Inos magazine.

"Hmm…I never took the time to look up at the sky like this before and I have to say it is very relaxing." a brand new voice said right next to Shikamaru.

"AAAAAH!" three girlish screams echoed through the clearing.

Shikamaru and Choji bolted up and looked to their right to see Naruto Namikaze sprawled out much like they were a few seconds ago.

Naruto turned to them eye smiling "Yo!"

While the two boys of Team Ten were trying to get their breathing under control the only female member of the squad stomped over holding her chest and glared at the smiling blond "What the hell was that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Naruto sat up, still eye smiling and looked at the irate Yamanaka and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "Sorry for that, but I came looking for Asuma and then I heard Nara-san talking about the clouds and I wanted to give it a try so I did. Again I'm sorry for scaring you, it wasn't on purpose."

"How did you get this close to us without making a sound to indicate you were here?" Choji asked.

"Practice" Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders "I am a ninja after all and have been training since I was six, I try to make some noise when approaching fellow ninja from behind so as not to startle them but it's just habit for me to move as quietly as possible."

"_Scary"_ was the same thought going through the minds of Team Ten.

"Anyway I don't think we have been properly introduced, I'm Naruto Namikaze."

"Shikamaru Nara"

"Choji Akimichi"

"Ino Yamanaka"

"It's nice to meet you all. Any idea when Asuma will arrive?" Naruto asked.

"He should be here any minute now." Shikamaru said.

"Good, do you mind if I wait with you?"

"Not at all, Namikaze-sama" Ino said.

Naruto turned to look at Ino "No need to add the "sama" just "Naruto" is fine with me, I don't usually bother with honorifics if there is no call for them."

Ino smiled brightly and sat down next to Naruto "Then you can call me Ino, why don't you tell me about your-self Naruto."

"My, aren't you friendly Ino?"

"More like she's trying to spread her reputation as a gossip queen by getting some info on you." Choji pointed out.

Ino leaned forward to glare at Choji, who suddenly wished he hadn't opened his mouth "Why don't you have another snack Choji, aren't you about do for another meal already? And don't even think about saying anything Slacker, you're about do for a nap." she snapped at her teammates.

"You know what Ino?" Shikamaru said.

"What?" Ino barked.

Shikamaru sighed "Never mind, arguing with you is way too troublesome." he said before folding his hands behind his head and laying down to continue his cloud watching. Choji quickly followed his example.

"So back to you Naruto, tell me about your-self, what's your favorite color, where have you been all these years, do you have a girlfriend, wife …kids?" Ino asked innocently.

"Hahahahaha…wow Ino, not only are you friendly but very direct. Alright lets' see, my favorite color is orange but I usually only wear it on my down time. I trained and lived in my mothers' home village, Uzushiogakure, before setting out and traveling for a year before I came here. I do have a girlfriend but no wives or children." Naruto answered.

"And who snagged the newest most eligible bachelor of the Leaf so quickly?" Ino said almost drooling at the fresh gossip she was about to hear.

"Anko Mitarashi" Naruto said simply.

Once again Choji and Shikamaru bolted up out of there relaxed positions and stared wide eyed at Naruto. Ino herself was slack jawed at the announcement.

"That scary woman from the second round, you're actually going out with her?" Choji asked in disbelief.

"My dad works with her in the I.T. Department, when either he or Ibiki can't break someone mentally or they need quick information they call in Anko. He used to threaten to hire her as a tutor whenever I would get in trouble at the academy" Ino shivered at the thought of spending time with the woman who ranked second only to her mom in women her father feared.

"Yeah she has it all doesn't she, brains, looks and could peel the skin off a grown man like a grape in ten minutes, you can't ask for more than that in a perfect girlfriend" Naruto said wistfully.

The three members of Team Ten looked at Naruto in horror before each one ran off to the wooded area and heaved the contents of their stomachs.

Five minutes later Team Ten sat in a loose circle pale, slightly sweating and dry heaving when Asuma casually walked into the clearing. Naruto was the first to notice him and gave him a enthusiastic wave and greeting "Hey Asuma! We've been waiting for you!"

Asuma gave a half- hearted wave as he looked at his team in concern. "Naruto, what did you do to my team?"

"Nothing, we were just talking."

"Yeah right, what are you doing here anyway Naruto?" Asuma questioned.

"I came to see if you wanted to grab a mission with me? I've been cooped up inside the walls for too long and a nice A or B ranked mission is just the thing I need to get the blood circulating?"

"Normally I wouldn't mind, but I just ran into Jiraiya-sama, he told me to send you to the hot springs if I came across you, so you might be getting the blood pumping mission after all" Asuma informed him.

"Then I better get going" Naruto said and turned back to Asumas students "Well it was nice meeting you guys, I hope we can get to know each other more." he said before walking out of the training field.

Asuma approached his sickly looking squad and just shook his head at how sad they looked "Okay, since it seems like you three are a little under the weather, give me 20 laps around the training ground before we move on to team strategies" Asuma said with a smile and the smile just grew bigger as his team stated complaining about the unfairness of it all.

**(Konoha Hot Springs)**

"Hehehehe! The women of Konoha are by far the most luscious beauties in the Elemental Nations. It's such a shame I can't spend the majority of my time here." Jiraiya said to himself from what he called his research station, which was actually just a hole, cut into the fence of the hot springs on the female side, hidden behind some high hedges.

"I think the reason you get caught so much is because you don't have an inner monologue when it comes to this type of thing." Naruto said from behind Jiraiya.

"I regret nothing when properly inspired." Jiraiya said quickly jotting down some notes.

Naruto moved to kneel next to Jiraiya and cut a hole into the fence with a wind enhanced kunai before taking a peek for him-self. "You also like to live dangerously, I recognize at least 10 jonins, 4 chunins and a couple of wives of very influential council members."

Jiraiya, still jotting down notes just nodded his head "Anything worth doing is worth doing right."

"Asuma said you were looking for me?"

"Yes, I was" Jiraiya said as he put away his notepad looked at Naruto. "The old man has a mission for us, actually two missions. First he wants us to head to the Hidden Sound Village and finish what Orochimaru started. I don't think sensei wants to give my old teammate another chance to come at us again like he did with this invasion of his. So you and I are going to go to Rice Country and get him while he's still licking his wounds."

"Solid idea, between the two us we can deal with Orochimaru. What's the second mission?" Naruto asked.

"Back up a second, the target is not just Orochimaru, it's anyone wearing a Sound headband, we're talking about wiping out an entire base no one gets out alive." Jiraiya said seriously.

"I understand Jiraiya, I'm not taking this lightly, believe me." Naruto said just as serious.

"The second mission is to find Tsunade and convince her to come back to the village. Both of these are considered S-rank missions. Sensei thought you might need a day to get your-self together after celebrating your promotion, but you know your body better than anyone else would, how do you feel?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'm mission ready, it would take more than a half of saucer of sake to knock me on my ass for a whole day." Naruto said completely honest.

"Go grab what you need and meet me at the west gate" Jiraiya said by way of dismissal.

"Right, see ya in ten minutes" Naruto said and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The smoke incidentally drew the attention of the women on the other side of the fence. Jiraiya being a shinobi most of his life and a pervert ever since he could tell the difference between men and women had a very sensitive sense of danger and fortunately he was already gone before the fence separating him from the irate women was completely destroyed by a variety of pointy weapons aimed to kill and maim.

"_If I didn't know any better, I would think he did that on purpose."_ Jiraiya thought as he continued to run away.

**(On the road to the Land of Rice Fields)**

Naruto and Jiraiya were taking their time walking to the Land of Rice, which was the home of the Hidden Sound. Since it was so early in the day it made since not to rush, if all they were going to do was wait for nightfall anyway. They had been quietly walking for about two, hours both men in their own thoughts when Naruto broke the silence.

"Tell me about Tsunade."

Jiraiya looked at the young but powerful ninja walking on his right side with a slight frown on his face at the question. "What do you want to know about her?"

"Anything you can tell me without giving away village secrets."

Tsunade was his oldest friend and he wasn't too comfortable speaking about her to anyone except maybe his sensei. "Well she's an expert medic-nin, was top kunoichi of our graduating class and has a very short temper. When we were a team, she rarely fought on the front lines unless it was necessary, that's not to say that she couldn't fight, it's just that she preferred to save lives rather than take them if she could avoid. Back then Orochimaru and I didn't mind doing most of the heavy lifting, Tsunade always fixed us up good as new." Jiraiya said with a fond smile gracing his face as he looked off in the distance.

"It's no secret that Tsunade has a fondness for alcohol and gambling, was she always like that?"

"Watch it! We all blow off steam in some way, you can't do the things we do and see the things we've seen and not be affected by them in some way if you don't have an outlet." Jiraiya snapped.

"I wasn't judging her" Naruto assured him, holding up his hands in surrender. "I read her file. Before the death of her brother, there was never a mention of drinking or gambling, so either she started after that incident or it was just a well- kept secret. You've known Tsunade through her childhood, adolescents and adulthood. There is no one who knows her better. I'm trying to get a feel for the type of person she is, I want to know if she's worth saving."

"First of all, she is damn well worth saving!" Jiraiya said hotly. "She may have a reputation has a drunken gambler but she is still a medic first and for most. I know for a fact that she periodically takes up residence in these little nowhere towns and helps out now and then. She would even train a few people to be good enough to take over whenever she decides to leave." By this point Jiraiya had stopped walking to look Naruto right in the eye.

"I also know she has also protected a few villages from being taken over from bandits or wannabe warlords. The only reason her gambling and drinking is so well known is because when she does decide to help she never does as Tsunade Senju. It's always a different name and description, but I know Tsunade like the back of my hand. And whenever this mystery Dr. or the protector of the weak shows up and disappears I know it's her." Jiraiya turned and began to walk away but said softly as though talking to himself." So yes, she is worth saving."

Naruto was only mildly shocked by Jiraiyas aggressive defense of Tsunade. He would have expected nothing else from Jiraiya but protection of Tsunade after all they had been through together. He walked quickly to catch up with the now quiet Toad Sage. "So how long have you been in love with Tsunade?" Naruto posed the question casually.

Jiraiya didn't bother denying it "Since I was old enough to tell the difference between lust and love. I was coming back from a training trip when I stopped in one of the border towns to have some fun before I was officially going back on duty. I spent most of the night chatting up this woman, it's funny, I can remember thinking at the time, she was a real beauty, but today for all the money in Konoha I couldn't tell you what she looked like." Jiraiya said shaking his head. "Anyway we rented a room and before we got to the good part, I stopped and just couldn't follow through."

"Limp noodle huh?" Naruto said.

"What, No! It was not a limp noodle, you damn brat! It wasn't her I wanted, it was Tsunade. So I left and high tailed it to the village and when I got there, I was all geared up to tell Tsunade how I felt. But as soon as I entered the gates, there was melancholy in the air. First place I went was to see sensei but he wasn't in so I went to the hospital and that's where I found out about Nawaki. Nawaki was a good kid always talking about being Hokage someday and Tsunade doted on him. I found her sitting on the monument, sitting on, the Firsts head and just held her as she cried. She cried her-self to sleep for the first time that night, but not for the last time."

They continued their trek as both men kept their own thoughts for the moment.

"After that night, I was firmly in the friend category." Jiraiya said.

Naruto winced in sympathy "My condolences."

"Tell me about it, anyway it was a few years later that she met… _Dan._" Jiraiya hissed the name. "Dan! Kami, he was just so…so non-descript, so average, even his name was average…_Dan_. The first time I laid eyes on_ Dan_ he had just said something that had Tsunades' face lighting up with laughter. Laughter I hadn't been able to hear or give her since Nawaki died." Jiraiya said with a sad bitterness.

"I didn't get to know Dan all that well, I had no intention of getting to know him, truth be told I hated him for bringing Tsunades laughter back, he succeeded where I failed. I don't know how he did it, but in a such a short time, he held Tsunades heart and I couldn't take it. So I left on as many training trips and solo missions as I could get away with until war broke out, then it didn't matter because it was all about survival. Since you read the file you know Dan died during the Third Shinobi War and shortly after that Tsunade left the village. Tsunade has completely closed her heart to anyone now, I can see it in her eyes."

"It sounds like you've given up." Naruto said.

Jiraiya just shrugged in response.

"This can't be the same man who wrote about a ninja changing the world because he refused to give in to the hate he was surrounded by."

Jiraiya looked at Naruto, surprised at the reference to his one writing failure.

"Yeah, I read the book, Jiji gave it to me. You telling me that the guy who had a vision of a world where everyone understood each other doesn't have a vision of his own happiness?" Naruto stopped walking momentarily to shake his head in disbelief "Listen up, no way am I going to be associated with a quitter. You're my Godfather and no way am I going to claim such a relationship if you don't man up and tell Tsunade how you feel." Naruto said fiercely walking up to Jiraiya and putting a hand on his shoulder "After we deal with Orochimaru, we're going to find Tsunade, you're going to tell her how you feel, she's going to burst into tears and kiss you breathless and then you two are going to do the no pants dance for the next three days before we all head back to Konoha, with no muss and no fuss." Naruto said as if stating a fact. He slapped Jiraiya on the arm then turned and continued on their route to the Sound Village.

Jiraiya watched him go with a bemused look on his face before he grinned and followed after his young but surprisingly wise Godson.

They were both quiet for the rest of the way to Rice Field Country. By the time they made it to the border at their leisurely pace it was evening but not quite dark yet.

"Okay Jiraiya, how are we going to go about this, shock and awe approach or silent and deadly?" Naruto sked as they stepped of the main road.

"According to the information we got from that Kabuto kid, Sound is made up of several bases scattered throughout several countries, this just happens to be the closes one, so Ororchimaru may not even be here." Jiraiya explained.

"You know him better than I do. With a missing arm and my poison miasma would he risk going as far as possible for medical attention or would he go to ground as soon as possible?" Naruto asked.

"It depends on how severe his wounds are. What's the effect of that poison miasma?"

"I convert the Kyuubis chakra into a very concentrated poison mist. If I hit you with it full force it would melt you, bones and all in about ten seconds. The little that Orochimaru came in contact with, will slowly eat away at him from the inside out. By this point most of his inner organs have most likely shut down and anything more strenuous than taking a deep breath will only speed the process along."

Jiraiya was impressed, the effects of that jutsu even as small as Naruto described was devastating. "Okay, here, memorize this" Jiraiya said handing Naruto a folded sheet of paper.

Naruto unfolded and saw that it was a map of the underground Sound base complete with traps clearly marked. Naruto saw that the base was designed to be one large circular maze designed to confuse any invaders and lead them into pockets of dead ends where they could be picked off by a counterattacking force. "You have a plan in mind?" Naruto asked after committing the map to memory.

"Yeah I have a plan, we're going to go in quick and quiet any enemies we come across, we use our hands, we use or knives but no flashy jutsus. Hand me the map back" Once he had the map he held it up between him-self and Naruto "You see the way he divided his base, on the west side he has the prison cells, on the east, his labs and medical facility and on the north and south end his barracks. What you're going to do is enter through the southwest entrance, make your way to the holding cells and on my signal I want you to release the prisoners, got it?"

"Understood"

"Meanwhile, I'll be coming from the northeast entrance and make my way towards the medical bay where hopefully I'll find Orochimaru and finish him once and for all. I'll meet you right here" Jiraiys said pointing to the center of the base which was marked as an open arena "We'll make our escape from there. Questions?" Jiraiya asked.

"What's the signal and when do we begin?"

"We begin at midnight and then listen for the boom"

It was close to midnight before Naruto and Jiraiya began their infiltration mission. They had split up after Jiraiya had finalized their plan, each man went to stake out their separate entry points. Narutos entrance was cleverly hidden in the center of a field of rice paddies. He had been watching several people enter and leave from the entrance, which was covered by a very well kept genjutsu.

Naruto had no idea how Jiraiya was going to get in, but Naruto already had a plan. He couldn't exactly go in there with a Konoha flak jacket and headband on, but that's where the dead Sound ninja with the broken neck, stripped to his underwear came in. He caught the man stumbling down a path that came from the local town about an hour ago. It didn't take much stealth to come up behind him, one sharp twist later and Naruto had a disguise into the base.

At the stroke of midnight Naruto walked with confidence towards the entrance as if he had done it a hundred times before. Once past the genjutsu, he couldn't help but think Orochimaru was not the genius people thought he was, because there was no secondary check point station, not even a guard. There was just a long hallway lined with torches about 8 feet wide and ten feet in height.

Naruto walked the long corridor expertly side stepping floor triggers and stepping over top of trip wires. He kept moving through the long hallway until he could see the beginning of a bright light, that light indicated a room with five doors, 3 of those doors led to certain death for anyone who didn't know and the other two led west to the holding cells or south to the barracks. Naruto didn't hesitate as he kept moving straight ahead going for the center door.

Now things were starting to look a lot more lively, as Naruto made his way towards the cells. These tunnels were a hodgepodge of twists and turns. He came across a lot more Sound shinobi as he made his way towards the prison ward. According to the bits and pieces he was able to pick up from the conversations he overheard, Orochimaru had sequestered him-self in the medical ward and sent all of the Sound Four out on priority missions and with Kabuto vacationing in Konoha with Ibiki and Anko, no one of any substantial rank was in charge at the moment. _"No wonder things are so sloppy around here, no one's keeping an eye on all these amateurs crammed into one space. Orochimaru is such a fool, giving bandits and thugs headbands do not make them ninjas."_ Naruto thought.

As Naruto continued to navigate all the turns and cutbacks of the corridor he could hear the steady screaming and shouting of what had to be hundreds of different voices. Instead of following his mental map, he followed the sound to what appeared to be the third level of a long line of prison cells the stretched for about a hundred yards. On the other side of the cells he spotted the guard station with only five guards maintaining security for the whole area.

Naruto wanted to be in position when Jiraiya gave the signal so he made his way to the guard station not even glancing at the prisoners as they screamed obscenities at him as he passed. Naruto walked up to the door and was about to knock when the underground base was rocked by a big explosion. _"Oh well, here we go."_ Naruto thought before he kicked the door off its hinges and into the room.

The five guards inside the station were very surprised by the explosion and even more surprised by the door that came flying off the hinges, especially the guard who caught the door square in the face. Taking advantage of his surprise attack Naruto darted into the semi-circle room and raced up to the first person he locked on which happened to be a guard rising out of a chair, half-way out of the chair the guard fell backwards gurgling and choking on his own blood from the ridge hand chop to the throat Naruto delivered to collapse his windpipe.

Sensing an attack coming from behind, Naruto pivoted on his right leg and side-stepped an overhead stab from another guard, getting behind him, Naruto gripped him at the chin and back of the head and gave a strong and fast jerk and a very audible crack was heard through the room. He turned to look at the last two guards who after seeing 3 of their own brought down so quickly and efficiently bolted for the door. However they didn't get too far and went down screaming as Naruto pulled the main release lever and opened every cell door in the ward.

"_Now to get to the center arena."_ was Narutos last coherent thought before exited the guard station and battle his way through ex-prisoners and Sound ninja. Naruto was fighting on instinct alone as he carved his way to his destination with wind enhanced kunai in each fist. Every swing of his arm yielded a severed arm or head. Every swing created an arc of blood that painted Naruto in his enemies life essence, and every swing got him closer to that center arena where he was to meet Jiraiya. Finally after what seemed like hours but was actually only minutes, the battle seemed to thin out. There were still battles in the corridors as well as sprung booby traps but it seemed all the main fighting was confined to prison ward.

Naruto arrived in the center arena and was very surprised to see absolutely no one. The arena was a dirt packed circle with coliseum seating. He realized that the he just came out of one of the tunnels that emptied directly onto the floor. _"Must be where the condemned come to die"_ he thought. Naruto carefully surveyed the arena making sure there was no ambushes waiting for the unsuspecting. There wasn't, it was completely quiet and empty. "Guess the fighting hasn't gotten this far yet." Naruto said out loud.

"**Rasengan!"**

Naruto turned to the shout which was coming from behind him and watched in astonishment as a body broke through the wall, spinning at a high velocity and crashed into the seating on the opposite side, raising up a cloud of dust that hid whoever it was. Naruto didn't wait for the dust to settle before he turned back to the opening and saw Jiraiya jump through and make his way down the arena to stand in front of Naruto.

"Mission accomplished?" Naruto asked Jiraiya.

Jiraiya took his time in answering as he inspected his Godsons appearance. He was wearing what looked like the standard Sound ninja out, black and grey snake patterned camouflage panyts with matching arm warmers, black shinobi sandals and a gray flak jacket, the headband if even had one was long gone and his hair was limp with a combination of blood and sweat. The rest of his appearance was no better, there was no where you could look at the kid without seeing blood and he just stood there as if it was an everyday occurrence.

"_I really need to speak with sensei about who trained this kid."_ Jiraiya thought to him-self.

"Hello Jiraiya, don't zone out on me, is it finished?" Naruto said, breaking Jiraiya out of his thoughts.

"Yes, it's done, Orochimaru's dead, now lets' get out of here."

"It was your plan to meet here how do we get out?"

"Simple" Jiraiya said before he started going through hand seals, whatever jutsu he was about to perform was interrupted by an enraged shout.

"**NO!"**

The shout came from the forgotten projectile that proceeded Jiraiya through the wall. The projectile turned out to be a boy about 18 or 19, gray skin, six bones protruding from his back and what looked like a tail waving angrily behind him. He was glaring down at Jiraiya with a look of utter hatred as he raised his arm which held some kind of drill like weapon on it. Whoever the guy was he was covered in just as much blood as Naruto was, the only difference was it looked to belong to him.

"You make a new friend?" Naruto asked as he got in a defensive position next to Jiraiya.

"One of Orochimarus pets apparently, he's a Kaguya, that much I know if the way he uses his bones as weapons is any indication." Jiraiya replied.

"**You will not escape me! I will avenge Orochimaru-sama if it's the last thing I do!"** The Kaguya growled, staring at Jiraiya. He leapt at Jiraiya raising his weaponized arm in the air and came barreling down at him.

"**DIE!" **the shout echoed through the arena.

Narutos image blurred out of existence from next to Jiraiya, the next sound heard was the impact of fists meeting flesh and the wet sound of blood hitting dirt.

"**Double Bone"** Naruto said

The speed and the power of the technique caught the enraged teen in mid-air with one of Narutos fist buried in his chest the other in his stomach. The technique caused his internal organs to be liquefied instantly before gushing out of his back onto the dirt packed arena floor. He was then sent rocketing off of Narutos fists and back into the stadium seating, he never felt the impact of his landing or the weightlessness of his flight, he was dead before his brain could register he had been hit.

"Naruto we have to get moving, Ororchimaru has this place rigged to blow!" Jiraiya said as sped through hand seals.

"**Summoning Jutsu!"**

In a great puff of smoke, Naruto and Jiraiya rose swiftly into air. When the smoke cleared they were standing on a large red toad with a blue kimono jacket and a tanto at his side.

"**Where the hell am I?" **

The toad demanded in an age graveled voice.

"It's good to see you Bunta, I don't have the time to explain right now but, I will, can you get us out of here?" Jiraiya said in a hurried voice.

"**Very well, but you better have a damn good reason for summoning me underground, hold on!"**

With that proclamation the giant toad grabbed his tanto and leapt towards the ceiling and in two swipes created a giant X above them all. With another mighty leap he punched through the center of the X and handed on thankfully solid ground.

"**Now where to?"**

"East, back to the Land of Fire and if you see a river or something you can drop us there so we can get cleaned up." Jiraiya said lying on his back and enjoying the ride.

Naruto was looking at the giant toad in amazement, he had been doing that ever since he was summoned and eventually said "So this is the famous Gamabunta, he doesn't look so big."

Jiraiya having heard the comment paled slightly praying to Kami, Bunta hadn't heard, but his prayers were not heard as Bunta suddenly stopped.

"**Who the hell said that!" he roared.**

"_Oh, Shit!"_ Jiraiya thought paling even more.

**AN: There you go my faithful followers, I know it's not as long as other chapters but this is just to get you by and to help me get back into the swing of things. On another note since I didn't have access to a computer recently I have been catching up on the Naruto manga and can I just say WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! Not only is Madara alive but he somehow has the Rinnegan along with an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, damn how many power ups is Kishimoto going to give to the Uchihas. Then there was this thing about Minatos personal guards being able to use the Hiraishin, only not as effectively as Minato did, that pissed me of because I thought, here is something that Naruto could inherit from his father that was just for him. The Rasengan doesn't count because Jiraiya and Kakashi can use that. Oh! And get this, Bijuus can talk to each other and I'll be damned if the Hachibi and Kyuubi don't sound like they know each other pretty well, what the hell is happening? My latest case of WTF is the Four- tailed Monkey is named **_**SON GOKU **_**and the Nine- tailed is named**_** KURAMA**_**? Is Kishimoto about to mind fuck is entire fan base and crossover Dragonballz and Yu Yu Hakusho?**

**Okay that rant is over, drop me a review folks and please don't ask me when is the next time I'll be updating because I honestly don't know how long I'll have access to this computer. Until next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Flee on Sight **

**AN: Well, here we are again. Firstly I want to thank you all for reviewing always a good way to show your appreciation to the authors. Also I would like to thank all the reviewers who pointed out that Son-Goku and Kurama weren't necessarily from DBZ and Yu-Yu Hakusho, but were beings from Chinese and Japanese Mythology. My rant from the last chapter seems to be a bit of an overreaction based on the curveballs Kishimoto has been throwing lately. As evidenced by the update I am still in possession of a laptop, so on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other anime or manga I will most likely borrow ideas from. **

**Be warned, story contents include violence, strong language and strong sexual content. Parental discretion advised.**

**(Tanzaku Gai)**

Gamabunta dropped Naruto and Jiraiya off just over the border in the Land of Fire. The only reason Bunta actually gave them a ride there and not drop kick them the entire way was because Naruto immediately apologized and Jiraiya promised Bunta 50 cases of Kumos best sake as soon as possible. They stopped for a short rest just over the border so that Naruto and Jiraiya could clean up after their mission. They only took enough time to wash the blood off and change clothes just in case they were being pursued by Sound shinobi. For the rest of the night they moved at a fast clip to put as much space between them and the Land of rice as they could.

By the time the sun began to rise that morning Naruto and Jiraiya were checking into the first hotel they came across to get some proper rest. It was a moderate room nothing fancy at all. Neither shinobi had said more than they had to since they left the Land of Rice, it was Jiraiya who broke the silence.

"Anything you want to talk about kid? You've been quiet for a while." Jiraiya said as he dropped his ever present scroll next to the bedroll he had claimed for him-self.

Naruto was in the bathroom going through his nightly routine, he came to the door and leaned against the door- jam as he addressed his Godfather "I was actually giving you some time to your-self." Naruto replied.

Jiraiya cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"The closest thing I have to a best friend is Asuma" Naruto said "We haven't gone through an eighth of what you and Orochimaru went through, I just thought you might want to have some time to your-self." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Jiraiya looked smiled sadly at Naruto "Thanks, I appreciate the thought, but I made my peace with Orochi-teme a long time ago. The teammate who took a kunai to the lung for me when we were sixteen was not the same guy who experimented and toyed with the lives of others for his own amusement and gain." Jiraiya looked out the nearby window to the rising sun "When I find Tsunade-hime, we'll have a send- off for Orochimaru, our old teammate, but not for Orochimaru the Otokage."

"I see, speaking of Tsunade where do we start looking for her?" Naruto asked.

"Right here in Tanzaku Gai, this place is a known tourist trap for two reasons, the castle in the center of town and the casinos." Jiraiya stated "Around this time of year there is also a festival here in town and with that festival comes triple the amount of gambling that this place is known for, Tsunade will be drawn to this place like a moth to a flame."

"How do you want to start the search?"

"After some proper sleep, we'll search together and if we haven't found her by the end of the day, tomorrow we'll split up to cover more ground." Jiraiya said before lying back on his bedroll and closing his eyes.

Naruto went to his own bedroll and made him-self comfortable before he to closed his eyes to get some rest for what was most likely going to be an eventful mission ahead.

**(Back at the remains of the Sound Base)**

Sakon, the current leader of the Sound Four was staring at the crater that used to be the Alpha Base of the Hidden Sound Village with a look of utter disbelief. The Alpha Base was now reduced to a giant crater of ashes and smoldering rubble, the smoke of which could still be seen wafting into the air in the early hours of the day. Next to him was the arachnid shinobi and second in command Kidomaru, also looking at the sight in disbelief.

"Why have you brought me to this hole? I have important work to be about and I don't appreciate being dragged away from it." Dr. Amichi said in a high pitched whine. Dr. Amichi was one of Orochimarus top research scientists and like most scientists, he tended to get caught up in his work to the detriment of things outside of it, like for example when his boss and leader requests his presence he doesn't have the luxury of saying no thank you.

Kidomaru and Sakon both took great pleasure jn reminding him of that fact, which is why Dr. Amichi has some slight bruising on his face and discovered recently that he will be pissing blood for the foreseeable future. Although the beating still hasn't stopped him from complaining about leaving his research every step of the way. It was only the fact that Orochimaru asked for his presence that kept Kidomaru from sticking a kunai in his ear.

"For the last time shut your mouth before I skin you alive!" Sakon snarled at the petulant doctor.

Dr. Amichi flinched back at the threat and decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being. He turned and walked a short distance away to get some separation from his to escorts.

"Kidomaru, Orochimaru-sama obviously activated the self-destruct seal, but who do you think forced him to do so?" Sakon asked.

"I don't know, it could be anybody, Orochimaru-sama didn't exactly have friends. We could go down there and look for survivors but I don't think it's all that stable yet." Kidomaru said.

"Don't bother looking for survivors, unless they were in Orochimaru-samas personal quarters there are no survivors. That was the point of the self-destruct."

"Do you think he made it out even with his injuries?"

Kidomaru didn't answer for a moment, then just shrugged his shoulders "I don't know, we could check the other bases, but first lets' head towards the Southern Base and meet the others, if whoever did this is still lingering around, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"Agreed, now about the good doctor" Sakon said turning to said doctor, who was pacing back and forth along the tree line and muttering something about valuable research time being wasted.

"Grrrr! We can say we ran into trouble and he was killed in the cross fire." Kidomaru offered.

"No, when we find Orochimaru-sama, he may still need him, wrap him up in one of your cocoons again and this time, don't forget the gag." Sakon ordered.

"Yeah, yeah" Kidomaru said making his way over to the doctor.

**(Later in Tanzaku Gai)**

It was around 2 pm by the time Naruto and Jiraiya were up and prepared to begin their search for the Slug Princess. The search wasn't at all what Naruto was expecting, Jiraiya lead the pair first to the most obvious place where Tsunade might be and that was the casinos. The two shinobi spent most of the early afternoon visiting the most upscale casinos and even a few underground casinos off the beaten path. The search yielded nothing but an oncoming migraine from the lack of information.

That evening they finally caught a break, there was a high stakes game of poker scheduled for the next day in the red light district and rumor was that the Legendary Sucker was going to make an appearance at the table. So with that information gained, Jiraiya decided to call it a day and left Naruto to his own devices. Naruto took the opportunity to go back to the hotel and change out of his work wear so he could check out the festival. Naruto changed into a pair of black slacks and black dress shoes, a burnt orange button up shirt with the top button undone and over the shirt he wore a black sports jacket. He didn't wear his head band or face mask, there was no point in advertising he was a ninja, he did keep his gloves and his collapsible bo- staff though, just because he was off duty doesn't mean he should be careless.

He walked from stall to stall playing games and enjoying the different foods that were served up. Although after about an hour of winning and giving away the prizes he grew bored, there was no challenge in any of the games, at least there was no challenge for someone with his ninja training.

Naruto left the festival and wandered the merchant district looking for a decent bar and grill. He finally spotted one that didn't look to rowdy and went in. It was dim-lit with wood panel walls and the bar and restaurant area were separated from each other. As he walked in he was quickly greeted by the twenty something hostess.

"Welcome sir, bar or dining room?" she asked

"Dining room, something out of the way and private." he requested.

"I have just the thing, follow me please."

Naruto followed the sway of her hips as she lead him to a corner booth table with a view of the door and his back to the wall, he didn't know if it was a coincidence or if she pegged him as a ninja but he appreciated the table nonetheless.

"Here's your menu sir, would you like a drink to start with?"

"Beer, whatever you have on tap is fine."

"I'll be back in a moment with your drink."

Naruto spent the next few minutes reading the menu and was trying to decide between the sushi sample platter and the grill meats delight when a shadow fell over his table. He looked up and was very surprised at his intruder.

"We have to stop meeting like this." His guest said.

"I would rather we meet like this more often." Naruto replied with a smile "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

"Yes I would." His guest said and slid into the booth next to him.

"How have you been Shizune?" Naruto asked.

"I've been well and you?" She asked.

"I've had some excitement since we last met, some good, some bad, but I survived."

"OINK! OINK!"

Startled, Naruto quickly zeroed in on the sound and to his surprise it came from a pig standing next to the seated Shizune. It was wearing a red vest and a string of pearls around its neck. He watched in mild confusion as she leaned over and scooped the pig up in her arms.

"Is this one of those places that lets' you pick the animal you want to eat like they do at seafood restaurants, because your friend looks delicious." Naruto said.

There was a shocked gasp from Shizune and a frightened squeal from the pig who obviously understood what he said.

"Ton-Ton is not for eating, she's my mistress' pet." Shizune said with as much dignity as she could muster while glaring at Naruto.

"HAHAHA! I'm only joking Shizune, I wouldn't think a restaurant would want to dress up its meals with pearls. I'm sorry if the joke was in poor taste. And I also apologize to you as well Ton-Ton." Naruto said sincerely.

"Hmph! It was in poor taste Arashi-san, Ton-Ton and I did not appreciate it."

"OINK!"

"Duly noted, by the way, Arashi is more of a professional name, I go by Naruto when I'm not in uniform and as you can see I'm not in uniform."

"Fishcake?" Shizune asked with a smile.

"Maelstrom, actually."

Naruto and Shizune were interrupted by the arrival of Narutos beer.

"My name is Tria, are you ready to order or would you like a few more minutes?"

"Shizune?"

"I'll have the steamed vegetable platter with a side of rice please.."

"OINK!"

"Make that, two orders of rice and a large bowl of water."

"Okay and you sir?"

"The sushi sample platter, a bottle of sake, Kages Best from the Land of Water."

"Very good sir, I'll bring your drinks out while your meals are prepared." Tria said and shuffled off to the kitchen.

"Are you and your traveling companion enjoying the festival?" Naruto asked.

"We've been to the festival before so it's really not a new experience, but I always enjoy people watching. Watching the little kids' faces light up when they win a prize." She said with a tender smile. "My favorite activities are touring the castle or watching the Kabuki Play, I missed them today but I'll catch them tomorrow though."

"That sounds like fun, I just played a few of the games before I got bored. What are you doing after dinner?" Naruto asked.

"I don't have any plans."

"Would you like to join me for a movie? They're showing the new Princess Gale movie."

"I'd love to."

"Good, the last showing isn't for another two hours so we can take our time." Naruto said.

Just then Tria appeared with their drink orders, the bowl of water was set in front of Shizune which she promptly slid in front of Ton-Ton who had wiggled on to the seat between Naruto and Shizune. Tria sat a dark blue bottle in front of Naruto with two sake cups and then retreated back to the kitchen to check on their meals.

Naruto poured for the both of them then held his cup up in a toast "Shall we drink to new acquaintances again?"

"You haven't come up with any new pickup lines since we last met?" Shizune asked.

Taking that as a challenge Naruto let a smile slowly slide on his face "Well, I could suggest we drink to your beautiful dark eyes that sparkle like a diamond in the night. But I didn't want to sound cheesy."

Shizune sat there with her cup raised and a crimson blush on her face.

**(After dinner and a movie)**

Naruto and Shizune spent their time over dinner discussing the places they had been in their travels, neither one delved into too serious of topics and tried to keep things light. After dinner they decided to walk around town instead of going to the movie. Shizune turned out to be a bit of a history buff and since she had been to Tanzaku Gai many times before she slipped into lecture mode and gave Naruto a brief history about the town. Naruto listened with rapt attention to everything she said. She was just about to tell him the history of the castle when the wall to a bar they were about to pass exploded in a shower of wood and a body came sailing into the street and slid to a stop in front of them.

Naruto immediately recognized the whimpering white haired mass of limbs as Jiraiya. Naruto approached him and rolled him onto his back with his foot. He had a dazed look in his eyes and a fist print on his left cheek.

"You uh, doing okay Jiraiya?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing I can't handle." Jiraiya said in a pained voice.

"Then I'll leave you to it, this is Shizune by the way." Naruto said gesturing towards Shizune who was about a step behind Naruto.

Jiraiya cracked an eye open "Hey Shizune-chan, I'm always surprised by how beautiful you turned out." Jiraiya said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you Jiraiya-sama, can I assume you've had a run in with Lady Tsunade?" she asked exasperated.

"That would be a safe bet." Jiraiya said as he got to his feet.

"I feel like I'm missing something, how do you two know each other?" Naruto asked looking between the two of them.

"Shizune is Tsunades apprentice and traveling companion. She's also Dans niece." Jiraiya informed the confused blonde.

"How do you and Jiraiya-sama know each other?" Shizune asked.

Before Naruto could answer his attention was drawn back to the hole Jiraiya just made.

"Hey pervert! I'm not done with you yet!" an angry female voice said.

As Naruto watched the angry woman stepped out of the shadow of the wall and as she stepped under the street lights he could make out blonde hair that hung down her back, brown eyes and a beautiful face that looked to be etched in a permanent scowl and what looked like a diamond tattoed on her fore head. She was wearing a green robe jacket, a gray kimono style blouse held close by a dark blue obi with matching pants and open toed sandals, and around her neck on a leather string was a green crystal.

"Hey Jiraiya, do you want to get on with the reason we're here or would you rather catch up first and do this at a better time tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

"Kid, there is no better time, might as well do it now and get it over with."

"Fine with me" Naruto said and approached the clearly irate Slug Princess "Tsunade Senju, by order of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you are hereby ordered to return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves to resume your duties." Naruto stated formally.

Tsunade looked completely taken by surprise and uf Naruto could see Shizunes face, he would see an equally surprised apprentice.

"Who the hell do you think you are giving me orders to brat?" Tsunade growled.

Naruto however didn't waver one bit "I am Chunin Naruto Namikaze and I'm not giving you orders, your Hokage is, I am simply carrying them out."

Tusande looked past Naruto to a solemn looking Jiraiya who simply nodded his head at her unasked question. "Well you can tell your Hokage, that I refuse and that I will never return to that place." She said stubbornly.

Naruto had been briefed on Tsunade by Jiraiya so her refusal wasn't a big surprise and so he knew he would need a few incentives to get her to agree.

"Refusing a superiors orders, you could be charged with insubordination, refusing your Hokages orders, you could be charged with treason and declared a missing nin." Naruto informed her calmly.

Tsunade was making her way backing into the bar when she paused mid-step. "Was that a threat?"

"That was a fact, I haven't threatened you yet."

Tsunade could only look at this blonde teenager in disbelief "By Kami, the stones on you. Do you have any idea what kind of fire you're playing with?"

"I have a fair idea, the question is do you have any idea what you're playing with?"

"Wait a minute you two, this is not the place to settle this. Why don't we all go somewhere quiet and talk this out? Tsunade, you really need to hear what we have to say." Jiraiya said getting between the two blondes.

Tsundae and Naruto had locked eyes the minute she turned around and neither had blinked, Naruto broke the stalemate by shrugging and turning his back and walking back towards Shizune.

"How about we finish this up in our room?" Jiraiya said.

Tsunade turned her glare on Jiraiya who held up his hands in a surrendering gesture "I'm not trying anything, our room is on the edge of town not a lot of traffic."

Tsunade just huffed in exasperation and gestured for Jiraiya to lead the way.

The human quartet and one pig made their way silently to the hotel among the streets. No one did anything to break the fragile truce that was established. No one spoke until they had entered Naruto and Jiraiyas hotel room and then it was Shizune who broke the silence.

"You're a shinobi of the Leaf, I thought you were a bounty hunter" she said.

"I was when we first met, I didn't join the Leaf until the next day."

"You two met before?" Tsunade asked.

"About six months ago, we just met in passing." Shizune said.

The four of them settled around a small square table in the dining room.

"Start talking Jiraiya, who the hell is this kid and what do you want with me?" Tsunade demanded.

"The kid can speak for him-self and you were already told what we wanted." Naruto said calmly.

Tsunade opened her mouth to snap at the young blonde, but stopped when Jiraiya held his hand up in a time out gesture.

"Calm down you two, geez, you damn Uzumakis are so short tempered. It's all that red hair in you genes, I swear!" Jiraiya said.

"Get talking Jiraiya." Tsunade said.

"Fine, this is my Godson, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, he's the son of Kushina and Minato. He's here to help me convince you to come back."

"I already told you, I'm not going back."

"Hime, just listen to me, there are some things you have to be aware of. Have you heard what happened recently, the invasion?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade sighed before folding her arms in front of her on the table "I heard Suna and a new village called Sound tried to invade and got sent away with their tails between their legs."

"All true, what you might not have heard was that Orochimaru lead the attack as leader of the Sound Village. It was thanks to Naruto here that things didn't end up differently, he was the one that brought the impending invasion to our attention and he most likely saved the Old Mans' life as well." Jiraiya paused to gather his thoughts. "There are two reasons he wants you to come back, first and foremost is there's a kid Rock Lee, he was injured badly during the final rounds of the exams. Without your medical expertise his careers over and from what I was told this is all he has. Secondly, the Old Man wants to step down, for good this time and he wants you as his successor."

"No!" Tsunade said vehemently "No way, no way in hell! Being Hokage is a death sentence and anyone who actually wants that stupid job is an idiot!"

Naruto who had been sitting quietly on the opposite side of the table from Tsunade spoke up "Say that again." He said softly.

"What?" Tsunade said as she snapped her gaze at him.

"Say that again, anyone who wants to be Hokage is a what?"

"An idiot, being Hokage is the fastest way to a grave and anyone who wants it is a damn fool."

"You were wrong Jiraiya, she is not worth it." Naruto said glaring into Tsunades brown eyes "Jiraiya gave this really heartfelt speech about how you weren't an over the hill, alcoholic degenerate, but I think he's looking through rose tinted goggles. Your Grand-Father, your Grand-Uncle, your brother, your love and your teacher!" Naruto slammed his fist on top of the wooden table and shattered it to pieces in anger "All of them had dreams of being Hokage and every last one of them put everything they had into achieving those dreams, some made it and some didn't, which is a damn shame, who knows where we all would be if they had achieved their dreams. But you, the way you spit on their dreams and accomplishments you might as well be a fucking stranger!"

"You are not the only one on this planet to have a hard a painful life, hell you're not the only one in this room who has had a hard and painful life and all that pain doesn't give you the right to say "Fuck You!" to the rest of the world. Jiraiya, I'm done talking to her for the night, I'm going out for a while." Naruto said and walked to the door. He paused and looked back at Tsunade "By the way, in case it slipped your mind, my father was the Fourth Hokage and 16 years ago on the day of my birth he died doing his duty as the Hokage and even though I will never hear my father tell me how proud of me he was, at least I can say I'm damn proud of him and what he did and if you ever disrespect him like that again….**I WILL KILL YOU!**" He said and left.

His statement was punctuated by the slam of the hotel room door. "Shizune, can you keep an eye on him for me? We still have some things to discuss." Jiraiya asked.

"Sure Jiraiya-sama, do you know where he would go?"

"I'm just getting to know him myself, if he's like his old man he's going to want a quiet place to drink and if he's like his mom, then he's going to want a quiet place to raise some hell. So catch him before he disappears." Jiraiya said and watched the dark haired medic hasten to the door.

Jiraiya looked back towards his former teammate she had been staring at the door ever since Naruto had walked out. She now stood and went to look out of the lone window in the dining area and stared down into the street. Her pet pig Ton-Ton went over to her master and rubbed up against her leg in an effort to try and console her. Tsunade scooped the little piglet up and cuddled her pet into her chest, Jiraiya could hear gentle sniffling even with Tsunades back towards him.

Jiraiya turned in his seat and grabbed his giant scroll and walked to the bedrolls set up in the center of the room, he unfurled it part way and pressed one of the seals on it, in a puff of smoke a clear bottle with the only symbol on it being a lightning bolt appeared. He sat the bottle in the center of the two futons then went to the kitchenette and grabbed two sake cups and brought them back. He poured him-self and Tsunade a cup and just waited for her to pull her-self together again.

After a few moments she sat Ton-Ton down and joined Jiraiya on the floor.

"We have a lot to talk about Hime, where do you want to start?" Jiraiya asked.

"With him" she said tilting her head towards the door.

"All the times I imagined getting you in bed, I never thought we would be talking about another man once we got there." Jiraiya said

Tsunade glared at Jiraiya sitting across from her "Can it Jiraiya, get talking."

"Okay, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, born Oct.10, day of the Kyuubi attack. Orphaned within an hour of his birth, jinchurikki of the Kyuubi, has been since that day. Parents, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Anbu Black Ops officer Kushina Uzumaki" Jiraiya drank his first cup of sake followed by Tsunade and refilled both their cups before continuing "Word spread fast about his condition, and he's had Anbu guards since he was a baby, sometimes they were on time to stop the attacks sometimes they weren't, any way when he was six he disappeared from Konoha. Sensei said he was trained outside Konoha with four master shinobi he trusted implicitly. Ten years later he's a bounty hunter going by the name of Arashi, he gets wind of Orochimarus plans and heads to Konoha to warn the Old Man."

"I've heard of him." Tsunade said, at Jiraiyas raised eyebrows she elaborated "I check out the listings every now and then, with my debts, you never know when someone will get desperate enough to send a bounty hunter after you. This is stuff I can find out on my own, tell me about him."

"I can't tell you about him, we're just getting to know each other, but here is a couple of fun facts, he has one adopted brother and he's the head of three clans, one of which happens to be the Senju Clan." Jiraiya said.

Tsunade choked on her cup of sake and began pounding on her chest In order to get her breath back. "How is that possible?" she asked

"Well apparently he knows your clan laws better than you do."

"Grrrr!"

"Easy, easy, alright the way sensei explained it to me was your Grand-Mother Mito was his great or great- great- aunt or something…"

"But that would only make him a Senju by marriage not blood." Tsunade interrupted.

"True, but that still makes him a Senju and in order to claim head of clan status or at least head of clan status for the Senjus is.."

"To be an active shinobi, which I'm not, because I haven't taken a mission since I left the village." She said dully.

"There is good news Hime." Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"You have a family again, something I think you both need right now" Jiraiya said seriously. "He's not a Senju by blood, but he is an Uzumaki by blood, same as you, I believe you're cousins. You should talk to him, get to know him, you have some things in common, your tempers for one and you both drink like fishes." Jiraiya said chuckling. "He's a really good person, he forgave me for not being there when he was younger, although it's not like I know his inner most thoughts, but it's getting there and best of all, because he's the head of your clan he already gave me his blessings to marry you!"

This time Tsunade spit her sake in Jiraiyas face as she heard that bit of news. "You just never give up do you perv?" Tsunade said glaring at Jiraiya.

Jiraiyas chuckles petered out as he looked at Tsunade, his light expression grew into something solemn that caught Tsunade attention. "I did give up Tsunade, I gave up on a dream for over 30 years and Naruto gave me the kick in the ass I needed to go after that dream with all my heart." Jiraiya reached across the futons and took Tsunades hand.

"Tsunade, I've wanted to say something to you for most of my life and whenever I shored up the courage to say it, it was never the right time. Now may not be the right time but I'll be damned if I lose this opportunity. Tsunade I love you, I've been in love with you all my life. I've wanted to tell you for so long that now that I'm actually saying It, I realize how much time I wasted not saying it. I know it's hard to believe.."

Jiraiya stopped as Tsunade put her fingers to his lips "All this time? I mourned Dan for years, I mourned Dan for years on top of years, you know what else I've been mourning?" a couple of tears escaped Tsunades eyes as she smiled sadly "Missed opportunities, you were there when I lost Nawaki, you were there even when I lost Dan, you were always my rock, always that steady foundation I leaned on. I don't know when I fell for a lunk head like you, all I know is I fell, I love you too Jiraiya." Tsunade said and leaned forward and kissed him for the first time on the lips.

**(AN: NO! NO! NO! There will be no geriatric lemon scene in my fic. My apologies to those of you who were hoping for one)**

The next morning Jiraiya, for the first time that he could remember woke with a smile on his face. He felt the warm curvaceous body of the only woman he loved cuddled into his side and his smiled widened so much his face began to hurt. He never wanted to move but he knew he would eventually have to, especially when he heard someone clearing their throat.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

He looked towards the noise and saw Naruto and Shizune stopped dead in their tracks by the door. Shizunes jaw was hanging down with a deep red blush on her cheeks, and Naruto had a small smile on face and was giving Jiraiya a discreet thumbs up, still Jiraiya smiled on and nudged Tsunade awake.

"Give it a rest Jiraiya, I haven't had sex in years, four times is way more than enough to show me what I've been missing." She mumbled half a sleep.

Jiraiya looked back at Naruto and Shizune to see that, Shizunes blush spread to the rest of her face and that Naruto had a full blown smile and was giving him two thumbs up.

Jiraiya shook Tsunade a little more forcefully now "Hime, it's not that…" Jiraiya started.

"That's what you said the third and fourth time" she huffed "Alright we can do it again, but I'm just going to lay here, geez, are you 50 or 15?"

"Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade jerked her head towards the sound of her students voice and saw Shizune as red as an apple and Naruto stifling his laughter. She turned to glare at Jiraiya who was reclined on one hand and holding the other up in surrender.

"I tried to tell you."

Tsunade just palmed her face and buried her head beneath the blankets.

"Good news, Tsunade has agreed to come back to the village and talk to the Old Man, so Naruto why don't you go back to their hotel help Shizune pack and settle the bill, I'll do the same here and we'll meet at the gate in an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, come on Shizune-chan, maybe your brain can start processing what the hell is going on with some fresh air." Naruto said guiding her out the door, Naruto was about to close the door behind him when he looked back, he shook his head with a sad expression and came back into the room.

Jiraiya looked at him with confusion as Naruto approached him and then walked past him, he swiveled his head to see what he was doing and saw him pick up a cringing Ton-Ton who looked to have her hooves jammed on top of her ears and her eyes screwed shut. Ton-Ton gave a startled squeal as she was picked up, she settled down when she saw Naruto and relaxed in his arms.

"You poor little babe, they forgot you were even in the room didn't they?"

"Oink oink oink, OINK!"

"I know, don't worry, as soon as we get to the village we'll have a Yamanaka go right into your head and remove all those terrifying sights and sounds" Naruto said as he made his way to the door. "But in the mean- time, I have a stash of the strongest sake in the Elemental Nation and you're welcome to as much as you need to dull the pain."

"OINK! OINK!"

The group met up as agreed an hour later, Naruto had changed back into his mission ready clothes and was carrying Shizune and Tsunades luggage, Shizune was carrying Ton-Ton in her arms while feeding her a baby's bottle full of sake, Ton-Ton had a healthy glow on her cheeks but it doesn't look like she's going to slow down. Everyone was set to go until Tsunade called a halt.

"Naruto, I owe you a big apology, as well as a big thanks. What you said yesterday was true, I had no right to say what I did about someone else's dreams." Tsunade stopped to grasp her necklace as she tried to find the right words "My Grand-Father and Grand-Uncle made a difference when they were Hokages and it was Nawakis and Dans dream to also make a difference as Hokage. Instead of wallowing all these years I should have been doing something to help make their dreams a reality, which is why I'll step in their place and hold the title of Hokage for them." She declared, she looked Naruto in the eyes, then leaned in and raised his head band and placed a kiss on his fore head "Thank you"

Naruto just smiled and adjusted his head band "Your welcome, that's what families for." He said and led the way back to Konoha.

**AN: Here you go all my faithful, I know you were all wanting a big clash between Naruto and Tsunade about their little get together but I'm sorry it just didn't flow like that. I'm happy I could get this out to you because it appears the owner of this computer is giving me a time limit and I have a crossover fic I want to get out before it drifts out of my mind. But dry your eyes my fans, I'm down but I'm not out. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW, I have to know you're thinking about me or I won't be inspired to write. **

**AN: Up top when Naruto said he will never hear his father say he was proud of him, I just want to make it clear he didn't consider the blood clone of Minato a real father, a good substitute but not the real thing.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: I have never updated three times in one month, I hope you all appreciate this and forgive the rush job or mistakes. No rants at this particular time, so on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I've ever owned Naruto or any manga, movie or comic I may borrow from.**

**(On the road to Konoha)**

As they made their trek towards Konoha, Naruto felt it was time to bring up some issues he had been thinking on for some-time now.

"Tsunade, before you officially take the mantel of Hokage, I feel we should get some importanrt clan business out of the way." He said.

"Okay" she said cautiously glancing at Jiraiya on her right. Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders in an I don't know manner before looking at Naruto.

"Well first and foremost is we have to clear your debts, we can't have the Hokage let alone an upstanding member of the Senju clan being seen in a bad light." He looked over to the slug Princess who started frowning slightly. "I know, but it's only good politics, right now the civilian council is a cesspool and if you have any outstanding markers some of the more wealthy and ambitious members might take it into their heads to try and get some leverage on the new power in the village, politics make me feel very unclean but when it comes to power it's not all kunais and jutsu."

"You don't have to tell me about power plays and political strength, I was raised on the stuff. I was just hoping not to have to maneuver my way through it so soon though." She said.

"I know, but when the sharks smell fresh blood in the water they attack." Jiraya commented.

"Okay, we clear my debts and take away a piece of leverage they could hold over the clan and the Hokage, what else?"

"Well, the other thing is the Senjus are almost extinct, you are the last blood related Senju that we know of and we can't the Senjus of the Forest disappear." Naruto said "Have you given any thought to having children?"

Jiraiya , Shizune and Tsunade all stopped in the middle of the road with varying degrees of shock on their faces. Naruto kept walking for another ten feet before he noticed and turned back to them.

"What?" he said confused.

"What? What do you mean "What?" Jiraiya demanded "How ask that with a straight face?"

Naruto stared at Jiraiya confused at the anger he heard in his voice "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a sensitive subject," he turned to Tsunade who was still standing in the middle of the road in shock "I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were unable to have children."

Tsunades brain clicked back on when she heard him apologize, she waved her hand in front of her face dismissively "That's not what I was shocked about, there's nothing biologically wrong with me that prevents me from having kids other than the obvious." She explained

"What's obvious?" Naruto asked staring at her blankly.

"My age." She said and only got another blank stare. "Wow, from the way you spoke earlier, I thought you were a bit more on the ball, let me explain it to you slowly, I'm… over… fifty… past child…bearing…years." She enunciated slowly and deliberately.

"I'm…not…stupid…just…confused."Naruto said just as slowly.

"Confused about what Naruto-kun?" Shizune asked.

"Tsunade what do you know about your Uzumaki blood?" he asked instead of answering Shizunes question.

"Not a whole hell of a lot, after Grand-Father died, Grand-Mother Mito pretty much shut her-self away, we hardly saw her at all." She said.

"That might explain your lack of knowledge, okay, let me break it down for you as we walk." Naruto said and continued down the dirt road with the others playing catch up. "The Uzumaki clan was known for many things, chief among them were our sealing techniques, massive chakra reserves and our abnormally long life spans." Naruto began to explain "It's common knowledge that unless you're a jinchurrikki than women do not have large reserves right?" he said and got three nods in return.

"I'm guessing here, but if you kept up with Orochimaru and Jiraiya, all through your shinobi career, even win you all were at your peak, then your reserves were above the average kunoichi."

"That's true, she was even given special chakra control exercises, when she wanted to become a medic because she had so much." Jiraiya said.

"You're at least a quarter Uzumaki from Lady Mito, those big reserves is the Uzumaki blood coming through strong." Naruto said nodding his head.

"Okay, but get back to the baby thing." Tsunade said eagerly.

"That's related to what I said earlier about the long life spans, for some reason, Uzumakis live long natural lives, because of this we also age slower…inside and out. With your transformation you look about 30 years old and I'll bet you all the money in my wallet that if you released it, you would still look 30 years old." He said.

Tsunade didn't doubt his word for a second and immediately performed the necessary seals to release her transformation, her body was completely covered by smoke and when it cleared nothing had changed, well almost nothing, there were noticeable lines around her eyes but Naruto put that down to stress and hard living, other than that she looked she looked exactly as she did in her transformation. Tsunade was staring into a compact mirror Shizune had produced from her robes and was staring at her-self in disbelief "H-how is this possible?"

"I couldn't tell you, I'm not a geneticist, all I know is at our physical peak, we stop aging for a while." Naruto explained "It's different for everyone, some people were even recorded to stop aging at sixteen."

"Where did you learn all this?" Tsunade asked.

"Uzushiogakure archives, it was where I was trained and raised." Naruto said.

"Speaking of training, Jiraiya and I never got into the specifics of who trained you, can you tell me?"

"Well Hime, I couldn't tell you before because you hadn't accepted the position of Hokage, but now that you have, I can." Jiraiya started "Honestly I shouldn't know but at the time sensei thought he was telling his successor" he paused and glanced at Shizune briefly "This is really a SSS-ranked secret not even Shizune can know, step over here in the shadows for a minute."

While Tsunade and Jiraiya stepped off the road to have a conversation Naruto took the opportunity to approach Shizune with a slight problem he was having.

"So when you told Tsunade that we met in passing, what was that?" Naruto asked.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"Yesterday, when we got to the hotel, you told Tsunade we met in passing, I have to tell you, this is the first time anyone has ever been ashamed of knowing me it's a new experience." Naruto said fondly.

"I'm not ashamed of knowing you, but what did you want me to say to the woman who is like a mother to me "Oh, by the way Lady Tsunade, Naruto and I had a one night stand six months ago. And he was so good that I've been tolling every bar of every town we've been to just so I can see him again" that didn't seem like the right time or place to bring up our previous encounter." She said sarcastically.

"Hmm! I see your point, well listen, back in the village I have a relationship with someone.. " he began, then he had to dodge poison senbon launched from Shizunes wrist launcher.

"You're already seeing someone and you have the audacity to flirt with me all night!" She growled out.

"Take it easy Shizune, let me explain."

"Time for explanations are past, now you get neutered." She said calmly

Narutos eyes widened and he was about to restrain the irate medic ninja when Jiraiya and Tsuande came running out of the tree line at the side of the road.

"Shizune what are you doing?" Tsunade demanded.

"He was going to cheat on his girlfriend with me, so now I have to render him impotent for the foreseeable future." She said in a dead calm.

Jiraiya winced and Tsunade glared at Naruto and cracked her knuckles.

Naruto held his hands up in surrender "Will you please let me speak, I was not going to cheat on my girlfriend, I am the head of three clans and am subject to the CRA, what I was about to tell Shizune was that if and I mean if she wanted to pursue something with me, she would have to speak with myself and Anko."

Tsunade and Shizune had started to calm down as Naruto explained and were very surprised by who he was dating.

"Anko? As in the former snake apprentice, interrogation specialist, very proud sadist and Snake Mistress of Konoha?" Shizune asked.

"That very same person" Naruto confirmed "Shizune, you don't have to make a decision now, but you do have to keep in mind that if you want a relationship with me it's going to have to be shared with other women. By the way, I was never going to cheat on Anko, we've only recently made things official, I was going to tell you before anything went beyond a handshake, I don't know what you might have heard but I'm not that easy." Naruto said and continued on his trek towards Konoha.

Jiraiya silently followed Naruto down the road giving Tsunade and Shizune a moment to collect them-selves.

Tsunade was staring at her student and surrogate daughter with a very confused expression, she was squinting at Shizune as if she was tyring to unlock a puzzle. As Shizune started to squirm under the scrutiny Tsunade finally asked the question that was on her mind.

"So, how was it?" she asked smirking.

Shizune spluttered and blushed a deep crimson "Lady Tsunade! Of all the ridiculous…I mean really…what none sense you're spouting." Shizune said in as much of a dignified manner as she could before she started walking again.

Tsunade just chuckled as she brought up the rear of the procession. Tsunade nay have lived in her own bleak world for the past several years but she wasn't completely blind to her one constant companion. She knew that Shizune wasn't a virgin and hasn't been for a while, she also knew that Shizune was very selective about who she goes to bed with, which is why Tsunade could count thenumber of bed partners she has had one hand with fingers left over. There bwas something about the blonde mask wearing shinobi that Shizune connected with and if it was one thing that Tsunade owed Shizune after all the years she had stood fast by her side as she ran from debts and drank her-self into oblivion, it was the chance to grab the kind of happiness she was now sharing with Jiraiya.

'_Don't worry Shizune, I won't let you run away like I did, you will have your man, even if I have to knock you out and deliver you to his doorstep.'_

**(Two days later)**

The small group had finally made it back to Konoha with a little side trip to a border town for some R&R. It would have been a lot more relaxing if a couple of debt collectors hadn't tried to kidnap Shizune, in order to force Tsunade to pay up. Fortunately for the collectors Shizune isn't the type to kill first and ask questions later. After that whole debacle was sorted out they made good time back to the village. They arrived during the mid-evening around five as the sun was about to call it quits for the day. They were on their way to the Hokages Tower to officially report on the mission, although that will most likely be unnecessary as many people already recognized the famous Slug Princess and Naruto was positive that a couple of Anbu were sent a head to tell the Third about her arrival, but they still had to tell him about Orochimaru.

Naruto could hear the excited whispers and could see the looks of relief the eyes of the people they passed, he tried to look at it from their prospective. Here were two legendary shinobi walking amongst them, to the civilians after the scare of the invasion looking at these two people actually seeing them stride down the street with such confidence and with the power radiating off of them, they saw security and safety for them-selves and those they cared about.

For the ninja seeing the Toad Sage and the Slug Princess held a different meaning, they saw a change coming, could be good and It could be bad, but as shinobi, what-ever it was, they felt it in the air. Too long they let down their guards and got by on reputation alone and it damn near cost them the village but now with two of their most powerful comrades back, they knew it was once again time to earn the right to be called the strongest of the great villages.

The group made their way to the Tower amidst the waves and good cheer from the civilians and shinobi alike. They all remained silent as they ascended the stairs to meet with the Hokage. They were waved in by the secretary and entered his office and stood before the Hokages desk.

"Tsunade it is so good to see again." He said smiling fondly at her.

"Sensei, thank you for sending these two after, I think it's about time I came home for good."

"That was the idea, Shizune, you've grown into a beautiful as well as strong ninja under Tsunades care, welcome back." He said smiling at the young lady.

"Thank you Lord Hokage, it's good to be back."

"Before we get into the mission report" he shifted his gaze to the other blond in the room "Naruto" he said calmly, way to calmly.

"Yes sir?" Naruto said cautiously.

Sarutobi held up a manila folder half an inch thick stuffed with paper. "Do you know what this is?"

"Is it too much to hope that it's a folder with a bunch of blank pages?" Naruto asked.

Sarutobi ignored the question and opened the folder to leaf through it. "I have in my hands complaints filed to me about the conduct of my Grandson and his friends Moegi and Udon, would you like to tell me exactly what you have been teaching them?"

Naruto looked at the Hokage with a confused expression "Just basics really, physical training, some stealth and you know we talk every now and again."

"Basics really?" the Hokage said as you read of a sheet of paper he plucked from the folder "Does your basics include Konohamaru putting one of his classmates in the hospital after performing, what was it…ahhh yes the **Choke slam from Hell.**"

Naruto grimaced "I might have taught him a little of the mixed tai-jutsu that I use."

"Does your basic lessons, also include, Konohamaru and his friends walking up to any Hyuuga they see and asking them, to teach them how to look constipated?" Sarutobi asked, ignoring the snickers coming from the other people in the room.

"What I actually said was the Hyuugas were experts at hiding their emotions and that it made them _look_ constipated." Naruto said.

"Was it your idea to have them try and leave orange handprints on the Nara deer?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed "I have to take responsibility for that one. I told them that deer have a high sense of danger and if they could sneak up on one, they were that much closer to mastering stealth."

"I have 23 complaints from the Nara about those three scattering their herds."

"Alright! 23, that means they kept on trying when they failed." Naruto knew it was the wrong thing to say when Sarutobis' eye started twitching. He knew he was in trouble when Sarutobi suddenly smiled.

"Since you enjoy teaching the basics so much you can report to the Academy tomorrow afternoon as the new physical training instructor for the time being." Sarutobi said with a smile.

"Is it too early to retire?" Naruto asked meekly.

"Do I really have to answer that?" The Hokage asked.

"No sir" Naruto said morosely before perking up "if I'm being forced to teach at the academy then I'll do things my way. The only training methods I know are the training methods I was taught by." Naruto said.

Sarutobi, Tsunade and Jiraiya all paled slightly but for different reasons, Tsunade paled remembering some of her Grandfathers and Uncles training methods she witnessed when she was younger. Sarutobi paled because he him-self was on the receiving end on some of those methods and Jiraiya paled because he knew the kind of suicidal training someone of Narutos caliber would have to use in order to keep his skills sharp.

"Don't worry, I'll tone it down but not by much, so don't be at all surprised if you get a few drop outs in the coming days."

"Do you know what you're doing Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.

"Not the slightest, but better the ones that can't hack it be weeded out now rather than become a statistic later."

"I agree with you there, but just because someone is not physically tough, does not mean they're not mentally tough." Tsunade said.

"I'll keep that in mind. It seems like I'll have a bug day tomorrow so I'll take my leave, later all." Naruto said with a half wave before he walked out of the office.

"Why did you really want him at the academy sensei?" Jiraiya asked.

"That exercise with the deer was very clever, after the first incident, I spoke with Shikaku and knowing my Grandson as I do, I told him to expect him to keep trying until he actually succeeded." He admitted. "I also asked him to keep an eye out on his progress and to tell me how close he actually got. At the time of the last complaint Konohamaru and his friends were about 40ft. from the herd when they spooked them, when they started, they never made it past the Nara patrols."

"I'm a little lost Lord Hokage." Shizune admitted.

Sarutobi instinctively went into what Tsunade and Jiraiya recognized from their team days as his "Professor" mode.

"Naruto didn't just give them a lesson on stealth, he gave them a lesson on infiltration, tracking, team work and mission planning. That's why I want him at the academy, I know Naruto fairly well and he can't stay inactive as a teacher for long but he will leave a lasting impression on them." Sarutobi said.

Down on the street Naruto was just stepping out of a Yamanaka flower shop, he had one more place to go before he could go to his destination and that place was just on the other side of the street. He walked into the store and glanced around and wasn't too surprised to see the place fairly empty so late in the day. He waited patiently until it was his turn before he placed his order. After ten minutes he paid for his order and left to get to his original destination. He knew where he was going, he knew who he was going to see but he just didn't know how to approach the subject that was on his mind. After his small scuffle with Shizune he started thinking about his run ins and the flirting he had been doing with a certain Inuzuka and he thought he should come straight out about his intentions rather than let her think he was some kind of player like Shizune accused him of being.

Naruto aimlessly walked toward the Inuzuka compound intent on talking to Hana, he wasn't sure what her response was going to be. If she was anything like what he heard her mom was like he could expect to be fighting her and her nin-ken pretty soon. He definitely didn't expect Shizune to attack him without letting him get a word in edgewise. Which was why he brought the peace offerings, the flowers for Hana and 3 fresh from the butcher, porterhouse steaks for her companions. He hoped she would give him a chance to speak and if she didn't he hoped the steaks would distract her companions long enough so that he could make a tactical retreat.

He was so occupied with his thoughts that he was caught completely by surprise when he was suddenly grabbed by his elbow and pulled into a semi-dark alley and pushed against the wall.

"Welcome back Arashi-kun."

Naruto recognized the voice immediately but didn't have time to react as his mask was pulled down and his assailant latched onto his mouth with her lips. Narutos arms instinctively went around her waist, she was very timid at the start, but as soon as Naruto responded she became more aggressive. She nibbled and bit his lip wanting trying to conjole him into opening his mouth which he happily obliged. He let her take the lead because she was the one who initiated the kiss, he had no problem following, she tasted of sweet honeysuckle, he had to hold him-self back from devouring her on the spot, he told him-self here in this dark alley was not the place but soon. He brought her body into closer contact with his so she could feel the way his cock was straining against his pants and that seemed to spur her on even more before he reluctantly let her pull back.

Narutos brain had yet to collect enough blood to create words before Hana spoke.

"I just had to do that before I lost my nerve." She said.

Naruto was about to speak before she placed a finger against his lips.

"Let me say what I have to, when your true identity came out I knew what that meant. For me, someone from a clan I know that the CRA is the best way to insure that the traditions and legacy of your family can live on." She took a deep breath "I know that you're going to be having multiple wives and I'm not saying I'm going to be one of those wives, I'm not saying I even _want_ to be one of those wives. But there is something between us, whether it might lead to a future or whether it's just a physical attraction I want to find out what it is. I need to find out what it is."

"I don't have a problem with taking it slow and seeing what happens, but we will need to speak to Anko-chan before we actually have a date, she's been my official girlfriend shortly before I left on my last mission."

"I know how this works, like I told you I'm from a clan, so I know the protocol for things like." Hana said with a smile.

Naruto snuck in another quick peck on the lips before Hana turned to walk out of the alley. "Wait Hana-chan, these are actually for you." Naruto said holding up the flowers and the steaks.

Hana came back with an even wider smile "You can keep the flowers, most of us Inuzukas have sensitive noses so we can't really tolerate most flowers, but I will take the steaks, even through the butchers paper I can tell they're fresh."

Naruto decided to keep the fact that he actually bought the steaks for her dogs.

"_Note to self, when you piss off Hana, steaks not flowers."_

**(The next day)**

Naruto was standing in front of about sixty 12-13 year olds. He had them assemble at the back of the school near the obstacle course. He looked at the kids in front of him and had to fight of a grimace at what he saw. They were just milling about in haphazard groups, a group of girls at the back of the class pointing and giggling at another group of boys who seemed to think they were too cool to pay attention.

"_Didn't anyone drill it into their heads they signed up for military service? I'm going to have to talk to Jiji about this."_ Naruto thought. He had been up early that morning trying to come up with some kind of plan to teach these kids but all morning he drew a complete blank. So he did the same thing he has done whenever he can't seem to think of a plan, he went with his gut and jumped in with both feet.

"Good afternoon class, I am Chunin Naruto Namikaze, I will answer to Naruto-sensei, is that understood?" as Naruto spoke he let out some minor killing intent just to get their attention.

"Yes sensei" Naruto heard the listless response and was easily agitated. He smiled thinly behind his mask "Lets' try this again class**, Line up 6 across and 10 deep!"** Naruto bellowed while sending out a brief but strong burst of killing intent.

The kids scrambled to do as ordered, Naruto gave them time to try and give them-selves in order. "Now give your-selves some space and move shoulder length apart" again Naruto waited before he went on to his instructions. As Naruto observes lines he moved the taller students to the back of the formations while moving the shorter students to the front so he could see everyone.

"From now on, during the days where we meet for P.T. you will assemble quickly and quietly in these exact formations. I want you all to understand something about me, I do not play favorites" Naruto said looking over his students "I don't care if you're from a clan, have a blood line, top of the class or dead last. It doesn't matter to me. What does matter is you wasting my time and energy." Naruto paused to make sure they were paying attention and he was glad to see they were.

"If you think you are the best thin since the Sage of Six Paths then leave my class and never come back, because I have nothing to teach you. I will not teach the ignorant, fools , fan-boys or fan-girls. I am here to teach those who are serious about their careers as shinobi and kunoichi. I will weed out those who do not have what it takes to survive on the battle field, but you drop out now then to die early. Does anyone want to leave?" Naruto looked but no one raised their hand and no one left.

"You may not want to leave now because you think I'm full of shit or you think you can take whatever I dish out, we'll see how many of you will survive a tour of the village. Keep up if you can." With that one warning, Naruto started a slow jog around the school out the front gates into the village. Naruto lead them on a long circuit of the village, first along the wall that stretched around the village, then zigzagging through alley ways and cross streets. When he said tour he meant it, he took them through the civilian section and shinobi. Near the clan compounds even as far and beyond the Forest of Death, and not once did he look behind him to see if he lost any of his students along the way, he was sure he did. The final place he led them to was the Hokage Monument. He finally stopped and looked behind him, he was genuinely surprised to see more than half of his students were still with him.

"This is a real surprise, I was expecting less than half of you to still be here. Catch your air for a moment." Naruto said not breathing hard and barely sweating while the remaining students had sat down or fallen down as soon as he stopped. "Listen up, there are two ways back to the academy, straight down this road." Naruto said pointing off to his right "Or up the stairs to the Monument and down a back trail. I'm going up the stairs and those of you who follow, I guarantee will be one step closer to achieving your dreams whatever they may be. Those of you who choose to walk down that road rather than up the stairs, you are not far off the mark, you lasted longer than those who quit." Naruto said then turned and jogged up the stairs. As Naruto made it to the top he turned and looked at the village. He looked at the hustle and bustle down below, he could see in the nearby park where a group of small children were playing a game of hide and seek. _"Is this why you made me promise to come back here? To fight for those children done there?"_ Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of retching behind him. He turned and saw out of the 40-something students who stuck with him throughout the tour, half of them could make it up the last stretch. "Congratulations, you're all one step closer. Class is dismissed."

"_I know I'm not supposed to play favorites in class, but now that it's over, I can at least think it. Great job Kon, Moegi, Udon, you've done me proud."_ Naruto thought.

It was two months of hell later that Naruto was finally relieved of his duties as an instructor. Hell for them not Naruto. It became common knowledge that there were 3 days a week that almost every student dreaded, those were the 3 days the students had Naruto as their instructor. Naruto didn't make them run around the village every class, he split the time between running around the village to running the obstacle course. But always every week he would get more and more students that joined him at the top of the Hokage Monument no matter how long he made the tour, sometimes he circled the village two and three times.

It wasn't all torturing 60 pre-pubers though, Tsunade was officially named Godaime Hokage and Naruto was officially recognized as the head of 3 clans. He retained status of the Senju clan because for some reason you can't be clan head and Hokage, Naruto was shocked to know that Asuma was the head of the Sarutobi clan since he came back to the village.

He was even able to find time between the academy and council meetings to take both Hana and Anko out on a few dates. He was glad Hana decided to give them a try. He learned that Hana was kind of unusual in the fact that she had soft looks compared to the other feral looking Inuzuka members and the fact that she had 3 nin-kens. His dates with Hana were not the typical dates people go on. She liked to be outdoors, so they spent most of their time together walking around the village and sometimes he would even help her in the Vet Office sometimes.

Anko on the other hand demanded that for their first official date she wanted to choose what they did. She chose a picnic in the middle of the Forest of Death. Suffice it to say by the end of the date we were surrounded by tigers twice out size and had a slight buzz going so getting out of their alive was an adventure all its own. Naruto could always depend on Anko not to be boring but that's what he loved about her.

Bringing him-self back to the present he was leading his last tour of the village and he was surprised that he was going to miss the bunch of wannabe warriors behind him.

"Listen up and repeat after me, **V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!" **Naruto yelled.

"V-I-C-T-O-R-Y"

"**Victory, Victory that's my battle cry!"**

"Victory, Victory that's my battle cry!"

"**S-O-L-D-I-E-R!"**

"S-O-L-D-I-E-R!"

"**Soldier, Soldier that's who we are!"**

"Soldier, Soldier that's who we are!"

"**C-O-U-N-T-R-Y!"**

"C-O-U-N-T-R-Y!"

"**For duty, honor, country I'd give my life!"**

"For duty, honor, country I'd give my life!"

"**Big Boss summon rolling down the strip!"**

"Big Boss summon rolling down the strip!"

"**Anbu ninja on a one way trip!"**

"Anbu ninja on a one way trip!"

"**Stand up, suit up, marching to the door!"**

"Stand up, suit up, marching to the door!"

"**We're elite ninja and we're going to war!"**

"We're elite ninja and we're going to war!"

"**Mission undetermined, destination unknown!"**

"Mission undetermined, destination unknown!"

"**We don't even know if we're ever coming home!"**

"We don't even know if we're ever coming home!"

"**Surrounded by enemies, about to attack!"**

"Surrounded by enemies, about to attack!"

"**But I know my team has got my back!"**

"But I know my team has got my back!

"**Bury me in the combat zone!"**

"Bury me in the combat zone!"

"**With my medals pinned on my chest!"**

"With my medals pinned on my chest!"

"**Tell my mother not to cry!"**

"Tell my mother not to cry!"

"**And tell my father I did my best!"**

"And tell my father I did my best!"

"I'm proud to say that each and every one of you are slightly better now than you were when we started good job, I will be back and if I find out any of you have squandered my training I will, seek a bloody vengeance, do you understand?" Naruto said to the class.

"Yes Naruto-sensei!" was the reponse.

"Dismissed."

**AN: If you want to hear the real words to the cadence go to you-tube "Victory cadence" I was looking for the perfect cadence I could use and modify and this was the closest I got. On a side note, I wanted this to be a filler chapter but it doesn't feel right to me, I'm thinking of having Naruto periodically teaching a class at the academy. Anyway how about those last two Naruto chapters huh? Did anyone else get goose bumps when Naruto and Kurama fist bumped and then Naruto through open the cage? And I have another question Narutos Bijuu Mode badass or not badass, what are your thoughts? REVIEW, REVIEW,REVIEW. PLEASE!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: Good news, to who it may concern. I have finally purchased a new computer. So you can expect updates on a regular basis from now on. That is of course until I run out of ideas and the story stalls. I just thought I should share that bit of good news with you. Sorry to bore you with that, on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other movie, cartoon or TV show I may borrow ideas from.**

**(Hokages Office)**

'_Don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw up!' _Naruto thought franticly to him-self as he stood in the Hokages office and watched Jiraiya, twirl Tsunades hair around his finger while he whispered sweet nothings in her ear, all while she giggled like a fan girl. It wasn't wide spread knowledge that the last two Sannin were now a couple, so unfortunately for Naruto, he had the misfortune of watching two geriatrics flirt with each other like a couple of teenagers. He was happy for them sure, but he was damned if he wanted to see it.

He was spared the options of plucking his eyes out and ritual suicide when the office door opened behind him and Jiraiya and Tsunade straightened up and put on their game faces. Naruto looked behind him and was a little surprised to see come in by him-self.

"Kakashi, it's been a while, we getting a mission together?" Naruto asked.

"It's good to see you too Naruto, I took a page out of your book and focused on training my students for the last two months, after their performances in the Chunin exam, my short comings as a sensei were pretty obvious and I'm making strides to correct them." Kakashi said.

"Enough chatter you two, we have a mission debrief to begin." Tsunade ordered both Kakashi and Naruto straightened up to stand at attention in front of her desk.

"Your next mission is a bodyguard mission at least on the surface. Your client is Asama Sanduya; he is hiring you to protect his client, the actress Yukie Fujikaze, from the Princess Gale movies." Tsunade explained.

Naruto stiffened when she said that, which didn't go unnoticed by the 3 highly trained and experienced ninja in the room.

"Something you want to say before we continue Naruto?"

"Well Lady Hokage, I don't know if this will have any bearing on the mission but I'm slightly familiar with Koyuki." Naruto said.

Naruto squirmed slightly under the intense looks he was getting from the other 3 occupants in the room.

"How are you "familiar" as you put it, with the top actress in the Land of Fire?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well my first job after setting out on my own was a security gig on the last Princess Gale movie. It was quick, easy work. The only thing I had to do was keep the crazies off the set." Naruto said shrugging.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Narutos explanation she could tell he wasn't telling everything. "If you were just security, then why would you have that reaction to seeing her again, did she get you fired or something?"

"No" Naruto said dismissing the question with a wave of his hand "I was there until the movie was finished, it's just well…"

"Spit it out Naruto, I have to know if I have to replace you on this mission." Tsunade ordered.

"We kind of had a thing while she was filming the movie." He said.

Compete silence was followed by that admission.

"How in the name of Kami did you, a 15 year old security guard, have a thing with the top actress in all of the country?" Jiraiya asked as calmly as he could.

"When I met her, I knew she was an actress, but not the star of the movie until much later. As the low man on the totem pole, I was assigned all the shit jobs, which kept me far away from the actual filming of the movie and the people involved in it, like the actors." Naruto explained.

"You mean you didn't recognize her?" Tsunade asked.

"How would I recognize her? I grew up on an island in the middle of the ocean and I camped out instead of renting a room to save money."

"So how did you two meet if you weren't near the filming?" Kakashi asked.

"Well if you saw the movie then you know there are a couple of scenes where she uses a sword, right?" Naruto waited until he got nods from those listening "I saw her practicing with a sword one day and the way she was swinging it around it looked like she was going to cut her own head off. So I approached her and when I got close enough I saw that the sword was a fake and figured she was an actress. I asked her if she wanted any pointers to make her sword fighting look more authentic, she told me to go to hell and I asked her out." Naruto said chuckling at the end.

"Wait a minute, the first thing out her mouth is "go to hell" and you take that as a sign to chat her up?" Jiraiya asked.

"What can I say? Anyway after a few more run-ins during her sword practices, we started getting together. It ended when the movie shoot did, she told me she had signed on for the next movie and I told her I was going into the bounty hunting business, we parted on good terms as far as I know. I didn't find out who she was until I started seeing posters with her face on them." Naruto said.

"I think you are the only person I would believe if you told me you used to sleep with the Land of Fire's top actress and not to mention princess." Jiraiya said smirking.

Now it was Narutos turn to look surprised. "What do you mean princess, since when is Koyuki a princess?"

"Since her birth and if you didn't know she was a princess why are you calling her by her real name?" Kakashi said dryly.

Naruto ignored the first but answered the second "Koyuki was the name she introduced her-self as."

"Yukie Fujikaze was born Koyuki Kazahana heir to the throne of the Land of Snow. Ten years ago her uncle was the man behind a coup that killed her father and sent her fleeing for her life." Tsunade said as she read from the file in front of her. "She would have died that same night if not for Kakashi sneaking her out of the country."

Naruto glanced at Kakashi who only gave a single nod before turning his attention back to Tsunade.

"As I said you're going to act as bodyguards to Koyuki, because her next Princess Gale movie will take her back to the Land of Snow, where her uncle the man who killed her father is still ruling with an iron fist." Tsunade said "Jiraiya can tell you more."

Jiraiya was once again wearing his game face as he explained all he knew "Doto Kazahana, Koyukis uncle has been looking for her since she disappeared, apparently she's the key component to finding some kind of hidden treasure, the same treasure he killed his brother for. Not everyone fell into step with Dotos rule. There's a rebel faction who oppose him and we believe this Sandayu is a member and is forcing Koyuki to go home and face her responsibilities there."

Tsunade took up the briefing from there. "The Land of Snow is known for two things, the first is obvious, which is they live in a land of everlasting winter and the second is some highly advanced armor called chakra armor. It boosts the wearers own chakra and ninjutsu and it also negates all opposing ninjutsu and genjutsu."

Tsunade flipped through a folder on her desk before looking up at Kakashi and Naruto. "This stuff would be extremely deadly in the right hands, so far Doto as managed to keep the designs and manufacturing a secret, but the word is he's becoming desperate for more power and is looking to extend his reach. So in exchange for more military power he's offering up this chakra armor to the highest bidder, so far the only takers are so low on the food chain Doto is still holding out, but if someone with serious military might were to offer their services…"

"Like one of the 5 Great Villages." Jiraiya said.

"It could be a big enough boost to shift the balance of power among us, so Doto has to go a.s.a.p." Tsunade closed the folder she was reading from and pushed it aside. "Naruto, while Kakashi and Team 7 are acting as bodyguards, your part of the mission is to infiltrate the Land of Snow ahead of them and provide aid from the other side as best you can."

"The Land of Snow is very isolated and small, it's not worth having an active spy there because by the time the intel gets to me, it could be weeks old and useless. You're basically going in blind which is why we need someone to go in early to get a feel for the landscape." Jiraiya added in.

"Won't Team 7 be going in a man short?" Naruto asked.

"We borrowed someone from another team to fill in the gap temporarily." Kakashi said.

"Naruto you leave tomorrow and will be taking the scenic route through from the Land of Waves instead of leaving by way of the Land of Fire, just as a precaution. Questions?" She asked.

Both Chunin and Jonin shook their heads.

"Dismissed."

Kakashi and Naruto turned and left without another word.

Down on the street Kakashi and Naruto stopped in front of the Hokage Tower "Where you off to now?" Naruto asked.

"Training ground 7, I have to inform my team that they have a mission to prepare for." He said.

"I have some errands to run and some people to talk to before I leave. I'll see you in the Land of Snow." Naruto said before he and Kakashi went their separate ways. The first thing he had to do was order up some supplies, so he went to the Forge, the best place for ninja equipment in the whole village. The Forge was a family owned weapons shop passed down through the same family since the founding of Konoha. If you couldn't find a weapon to your liking in the shop guaranteed they could make it for you. It was rumored but never confirmed that members of the family that owned the shop were responsible for some of the world's most renowned weapons like the Yondaimes Hiraishin kunais, the Nidaimes Raijin and the White Fangs chakra blade.

You wouldn't know of its legendary history to look at the place from the outside, it was a single story stand-alone brick building with a plane picture window and a single glass door with a picture of a hammer and tongs on it. It was set in the back of the shinobi district which afforded it a lot of room to test out its various creations without any danger to bystanders. As Naruto entered he heard the distinct hammering going on in the back of the shop which he knew contained the onsite forge. He scanned the shop looking for any workers but all he saw was a few customers examining the weapons displayed along the walls.

Naruto went to the counter to ring the bell set on top, he was about to ring the bell when someone walked through the leather curtain separating the backroom from the front of the store. "Well hello again, Tenten wasn't it?" Naruto asked.

Tenten stumbled slightly when she spotted the familiar masked blonde, she hadn't seen him since the finals of the Chunin exams and she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him since they first met before the first round. "Namikaze-sama" she said bowing to Naruto "Welcome to the Forge." She said formally.

Naruto frowned at this, if it was one thing he didn't like it was the damn near reverence he was paid just for being born to Minato Namikaze. He was very proud of his father and what he achieved and he would kill anyone who disrespected the Namikaze or Uzumaki name but really, he hadn't earned this level of respect to be bowed to by virtual strangers just because he happened to be the son of the Yondaime.

"Please Tenten, no need for honorifics and definitely no need to bow, I'm just shopping for some supplies, just call me Naruto." He said.

"Oh! But I couldn't." Tenten said

"Of course you can, I just told you it was unnecessary" Naruto said.

"But you're the son of two of the greatest shinobi the leaf has ever known, you deserve the respect owed to you."

Naruto got a mischievous glint in his eyes "I didn't think you were that kind of girl Tenten."

Tenten frowned at that comment "What kind of girl are you talking about?"

Naruto leaned on the counter "Well here I am, telling you to call me Naruto and you insist on calling me "Lord", a strong girl like you, I never would have figured you for a sub."

Tenten was really confused about where this conversation had gotten to especially the part about her being a sub, and she said as much. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What is a sub?"

Naruto gestured Tenten to come closer, as their faces came closer he moved his head to the side so he could whisper in her ear. "A sub is a submissive sexual partner, they like to be dominated in the bedroom and they enjoy having someone to call their master, I'm very surprised you were so forward in choosing me as your "Lord" but how about we get to know each other first?"

When Naruto pulled back to look her in the face he was pleased to see an apple shine complexion and steam coming out of her ears. She was like that for longer than Naruto would have liked and he was afraid she was going to have a stroke soon if she didn't snap out of it soon.

Help came in the form of a 6'6 walking slab of muscle in a long sleeve black shirt, leather gloves and a leather apron. He had a dark tan complexion from years in front of a forge and long brown hair in a single braid down his back. He had black pinpoint eyes, a scar that ran from the corner of his right eye to his ear and a neatly trimmed goatee. Naruto had met the man before his name was Koga; he was the blacksmith and owner of the shop. "Tenten" he said in a deep voice "I need some help packing up a load of kunai and shuriken that needs to go to the academy."

Tenten didn't answer just woodenly walked back through the curtain to presumably get started on the packing.

Koga watched her go with a slightly confused expression. He turned back to his customer and his expression lightened slightly. "Naruto-san, it's been a while hasn't?" he asked.

"Yes it has, how have you been Koga-san?"

The blacksmith shrugged his huge shoulders "Business as usual, how can I help you?"

"Came in for some supplies, I need 200 standard kunai, 400 shuriken, 100 feet of ninja wire, half dozen 25 feet lengths of chain links, 100 feet of braided rope, a dozen grapple hooks, 20 bolos, 4 S-class med kits, 2 dozen blank scrolls, 16 ounces of top grade black ink, a dozen boxes of caltrops and a case of filed ratios to round it off." As Naruto rattled of his list, Koga just nodded away, he had a mind like a steal trap when it came to the business of running the shop or making weapons, he was already totaling everything in his head as Naruto finished.

"Now that you've made Chunin would you like to run a line of credit? It's a special service we provide for Chunin and above." Koga offered.

"How does that work?"

"Chunins have a $5,000 limit and it has to be paid every promptly every 30 days and Jonins have a $15,000 limit and every 90 days." Koga explained.

"What about genins, academy students and Anbu?" Naruto wondered.

"Academy students and genins don't have a steady income, so giving them a line of credit would be bad for business. I'm sure I've sold to Anbu members before but they're hardly going to come in here with their masks on and fill out this information form are they?" Koga said chuckling.

Naruto nodded his head in understanding "Alright set me up with a line of credit."

Koga nodded his head and pulled a clipboard out from under the counter and handed it to Naruto. "Fill out this form while I gather up your order."

As Naruto filled out the form Koga steady went about filling Narutos order and piling it up on the counter. By the time Naruto was done was setting done, Koga, was waiting patiently for Naruto to hand over the completed form.

"Okay, your acct. number is 10-13528, just give this number to whoever is at the counter when you're ready to check out and that's it. You total for today is $3,567.65, you want that on your tab or pay up front?" Koga asked after filing away Narutos credit form.

"Cash, I might as well save the credit for when I really need it." Naruto said pulling out his money scroll and paying for his supplies. He then stored away each item into different scrolls and he was about to leave when he remembered something. "Koga-san, will you tell Tenten, I said goodbye and it was nice seeing her again."

"I wasn't aware you two had met, how did you meet my daughter Naruto-san?" Koga said with a deceptive calmness that belied the raging storm that was brewing beneath the surface.

"We met during the Chunin exams; I haven't seen her since the second round though." Naruto said trying with all his training to remain calm in the face of certain death. _'If he knew what I said to Tenten earlier, I would never leave this place alive.'_ Naruto thought. "Well goodbye Koga-san." Naruto said with a wave and quickly left the store. Naruto put on a burst of speed towards his next destination in fear of Koga bursting out of his store with one of the many deadly weapons he has crafted.

He slowed down when he came upon his next stop, the Inuzuka compound. Since he started dating Hana he became a constant visitor to the home of the Inuzukas. He liked the majority of the clan members he came in contact with. There were a few male members who tried to challenge him for the right to go out with a member of the clan especially the daughter of their leader but after a couple of brutal encounters that left the challengers unconscious for several days he was basically acknowledged as an alpha male and accepted if grudgingly.

The compound was on a huge plot of land with plenty of room to let the many k-9 companions roam around. The main house where Hana and her family lived was a two story wooden home that radiated a family feel. Naruto always got an instant sense of family whenever he went there, he had a feeling it was some kind of animal instinct he inherited from the fox. Naruto was halfway up the walk when he got the sense of an impending attack.

His instincts had him turning around and taking the full force of a flying tackle to the chest. The weight and power of the maneuver brought Naruto to the ground which gave his assailant the opportunity to scramble up his chest and try to lick him to death through his mask.

Naruto was laughing in delight as Shiromaru kept on with his attempts of death by doggy drool. Chuckling at the hyper pup Naruto pushed him of his chest and sat up. The dog was instantly in front of Naruto standing on its back legs panting in excitement. Naruto rubbed the dog vigorously behind its ear and watched as he closed his eyes in puppy heaven.

"Shiro you big softy, all it takes is a scratch behind the ears and you're done." Naruto said chuckling. He laughed even more when he got a soft growl in reply. He sat there and played with Shiromaru a while longer before he finally stood which got a whimper of disappointment from the black.

"Sorry pal, but I have to talk to Hana-chan, its important." He told the dog.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

"What do you mean I owe you a steak? You didn't sneak up on me I knew you were there."

"Woof! Woof! Grrr!"

"You watch your language or I'll tie your muzzle shut."

"Grrr! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

"Who're you calling a wuss? Fine double or nothing but no whimpering when you lose."

"Woof!"

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto spun around at the sound of the voice. Hana was standing on her front porch looking at him like he had two heads. He just looked at her for a moment and took in the sight of her. She was dress in casual clothes just a plain black t-shirt and gray sweat pants. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and ignored the snickering dog behind him.

Naruto left the laughing dog on the walkway and approached Hana, he drew her into a hug and out of habit he reached up and released her hair from its long ponytail so that it fell around her shoulders. As he hugged her he buried his face in her hair and drew in a deep breath, he loved the smell of her hair, and it was like the smell of a fresh rainfall, clean and invigorating.

Je pulled back and allowed Hana to pull his mask down and give him one of her aggressive heated kisses. He gave Hana the semblance of control for the moment enjoying the way she explored his mouth. He was about to return the favor when a loud poignant cough interrupted them. Startled they jumped apart and looked towards the sound to see a very smug and smirking Tsume Inuzuka leaning on the door jam.

Tsume was the complete opposite of Hana, she was loud with wild hair, slit pupils and elongated canines that heightened her feral beauty. "The house is empty, why don't you two go inside before you conceive my grand- kids on the front porch." Tsume said laughing as she walked away followed by her partner Kudomaru.

Hana and Naruto weren't even the slightest bit embarrassed; they were used to the direct and often teasing way Tsume spoke.

"Hana-chan, there was a reason I came over today, I have a mission starting tomorrow and I'll be gone at least month." Naruto said.

"Oh, I'm going to miss you while you're away." Hana said cuddling into Narutos chest and wrapping her arms around his waist. They stayed quiet like that just holding each other until Hana raised her head from his chest and looked him in his cerulean blue eyes. "I know a definite way to keep us thinking of each other." She said softly.

"What way is that?" he said just as softly.

Instead of answering Hana took him by the hand and lead him into the house, then upstairs to her bedroom.

**(Lemon, you've been warned)**

Narutos lips settled on Hana's in a gentle kiss, he was planning to start out slow but Hana was not having that. She immediately turned the aggression on. She backed Naruto up until the back of his knees hit the bed forcing him to sit down where he was promptly straddled by Hana. She deepened the kiss while her hands fumbled with the zipper of his Chunin vest in her hurry to get it off.

A groan of pleasure escaped Narutos mouth as she finally got his vest of and raked her nails from his shoulders to his pecs. He grabbed her hips and forced her further down on his lap as he pressed up, wanting her to feel how hard he was through the fabric of their clothes and stoke he passion even more. He cupped her ass, it was fully curved and firm, he lifted her slightly so that she could wrapped her legs around his hips and get the full grinding sensation of his cock against her pussy.

He grabbed the edge of her shirt and drew it over her head to reveal perfect bra less c-cups. He couldn't stop the growl of pleasure that rumbled from his chest and attacked one pink nipple after the other. He nibbled around the edges of her areola on her right breast while pinching the nipple into diamond hardness on her left breast. He switched back and forth between the two until Hana gave a soft whimper and was racked by a small shudder through her body.

He stood with her still wrapped around him and laid her on the bed. He leaned over her and stared into those warm, round brown eyes and started trailing kisses from her forehead over her eyelid, her cheek, her mouth and then her neck, stopping to nibble on the rapidly pulsing vein. He continued to move down her body, kissing each breast, taking time to trail kisses down her stomach. He grabbed the top of her sweat pants and was pleased when she didn't hesitate to lift her hips. He slid the fabric down her thighs then completely off. Naruto stood up and looked down at Hana; he took it all in the heaving breast, and the flat toned stomach, the hairless mound and the glistening nether lips. The most important thing though was the utter trust and desire he saw in her eyes.

Naruto removed his shirt and dropped it to the floor he quickly kicked off his sandals and in one economical move his pants and underwear were in a pile next to the bed. His dick was killing before confined to his jeans for so long and sprang free like a freed prisoner.

Like the trained kunoichi she was Hana saw an opportunity and took it. She sat and slid to the edge of the bed grabbed Naruto by the hips and engulfed his cock as far into her mouth as she could.

"Oh! Kami, that feels great! Your mouth is like liquid fire." Naruto growled at the sensation.

Hana gave a hum of appreciation that sent an all new feeling into Naruto that tightened his balls until he almost exploded in her mouth. Naruto grabbed a handful of Hanas hair in an attempt to try and control her movements.

Hana removed her mouth from his cock long enough to shake his hold off and say "Hands to your-self big boy, it's my turn."

Narutos only response was a guttural growl.

Hana went back to her- self assigned mission, she flick out her tongue and licked off a drop of pre-cum, she took great satisfaction in Narutos full body shiver. She grabbed his cock by the base of the shaft and squeezed slightly to engorge the tip. Then she slowly and methodically swirled her tongue around the tip and allowing him to thrust his hips forward in and out of her mouth. She felt his cock jerk in her mouth and a single splash of cum trickled down her throat.

"Enough!" Naruto snarled. "I see your game, now it's my turn." He said and pressed her back on the bed. He attacked her mouth like a man dying of thirst, robbing her of her breath, it was a long hard kiss, a kiss that challenged her to meet him stroke for stroke. He finally relented and looked her in the eyes with a look of promise and dark lust. "You tasted me now I get to taste you."

Naruto moved down her body, a man on a mission, no pauses to tease, just a straight forward need to dominate her sexually.

"Naruto" Hana half whimpered and half begged.

"Just a taste Hana-chan, just one taste" Naruto said smoothly.

Hana felt a puff of air on her most intimate parts and arched her hips in its direction, as soon as she felt Narutos hot mouth tongue dive between her folds, she came with a shattering cry and had the brief sensation of weightlessness. When she came back down to earth, she became aware of Naruto saying her name.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Welcome back"

Hanas eyes couldn't focus at the moment but she could hear the smirk in his voice. "What happen?"

"You passed out for a second, there's something else Hana-chan, I lied to you."

Hana froze "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to need more than one taste." He said.

Hana arched her back again as his tongue blazed a hot trail through her folds. She grabbed handfuls of his soft blonde hair. Her nails digging into his scalp trying to hold him in place as he worked his tongue around her clit, as his tongue ran wild up and down her folds. She was fighting for breath near begging him to hit the right spot to send her over the edge again. She knew he was avoiding it on purpose. "Naruto…please, I need release, let me cum again."

"The next time you cum I'll be inside you."

"Hurry Naruto! For Kami's sake hurry! I need you!" The words were barely out of her mouth before she was invaded and stretched to pleasurable proportions. Later she would faintly recall screaming Narutos name over and over but at the moment her focus was on the long drawn out orgasm that was currently racking her body.

"Look at me Hana-chan, look at me." Naruto said.

Hana did her best to focus on the blue eyes of her lover, her body was still vibrating from the powerful orgasm she just had.

Naruto hadn't moved since he first entered her but when she looked him in the eyes he withdrew his hips and slammed forward and once again filled her to her limit. Once again he felt her body tremble with a minor orgasm, he inwardly smirked. Over and over again he slammed his hips forward and every time he paused and waited until her tremors were almost over before repeating the process. He kept that pace for as long as possible until he felt the familiar tightening in his balls then he abandoned his game plan and slammed his hips into Hana with a recklessness that built up that feeling even more.

Hana felt what was coming and her body was moving on instinct, she tried to meet him thrust for thrust but he was moving too fast so she just relaxed into the steady rhythm of his beautiful assault. And then it happened, he gave one full deep thrust and poured his seed into her with a dominating roar that Hana felt in her soul, in response Hana sat up and acting on a primal code she sank her teeth into left pec right over his heart, staking her claim.

**(Lemon end)**

Naruto and Hana were both lay boneless, sweating and panting in a heap on Hanas bed. Naruto collapsed on top of Hana as soon as his balls were empty but Hana didn't seem to mind. She leisurely ran her hands all over Narutos sweat soaked body and even through his hair.

"Hana-chan, am I too heavy?" Naruto asked just above a whisper.

"No, I like the feeling of you on top of me." Hana said just as softly. True to her word she moaned in disappointment when Naruto pulled out of her and rolled over on the bed next to her. She turned to him and propped her-self on her elbow and watched as his breathing evened and he absently rubbed her bite mark on his chest.

"Does this mean what I think it means Hana-chan?"

Hana reached over reverently and traced her teeth marks with the tips of her fingers "Yes, it means my feelings for you were not merely physical, it's a mate mark. It's instinct that makes us of the Inuzuka mark our other half, no amount of lust would allow us to do it. Mother told me she didn't even mark our father which is probably why he isn't around anymore."

"Good, I know my feelings for you Hana-chan and I'm never going to let you go for as long as I draw breath." He said as he pressed her hand to her mate mark and covered it with his own.

"What do we do now?"

"Now we shower, eat, have a nap then do it again because I think I'm getting addicted." Naruto said with a smile that Hana matched in wattage. And that's what they did, it was after midnight before Naruto got dressed to go home. Hana was watching him with somber eyes.

"Why do you look so said Hana-chan, is it the mission, don't worry I'll be fine." Naruto assured her.

"It's not the mission." She said softly.

Naruto paused in putting on his Chunin vest to stare at her. "Is it that I'm going home to Anko-chan?"

"No, it's the simple fact that the place you call home and the place I call home are two different things." She said glumly.

Naruto walked around the bed until he stood next to Hana, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her still swollen lips. "Why don't you get together with Anko and the two of you can go house shopping?"

Hana looked at him surprised "Really?'

"Yeah, you two go shopping and when I come back we'll decide together where we want to raise our family." Naruto said smiling.

"Family?"

"You didn't think it was just going to be us and your dogs did you? I want the pitter patter of little feet, the white picket fence, the barefoot and pregnant wife the whole shebang."

"Oh! Naruto, I want children, I want a whole litter, a bunch of blonde, blue eyed pups with fang tattoos on their cheeks." Hana said excitedly as rose up on her knees to wrap Naruto in a fierce hug.

"You'll get them Hana-chan, I promise." Kissing her again, he pulled back before he could really get started. "I have to go…now, if I stay any longer, I won't be ready for my mission in the morning." Naruto said backing away from Hana and throwing on his Chunin vest.

Hana lay back down in her bed with a contented smile on her face and watched Naruto leave this time with a twinkle in her eyes.

Naruto hustled back to the apartment he shared with Anko; he scaled the wall and entered through the window they kept open for this very reason. He walked towards the bedroom intentionally making noise to let Anko know he wasn't an intruder. The bedside lamp clicked on as he reached the doorway. Anko sat up on bed and let the blankets pool around her waist proudly displaying her firm breast with a sultry smile.

"It's about time you got back; I almost gave up on you and figured you stayed with Hana tonight." She said.

"How did you know I was with Hana-chan?" Naruto asked as he got undressed.

"I ran into Tsume at the bar, she said you two were about to put on a show on her front porch if she hadn't stopped you." Anko said giving Naruto one of her rarely seen smiles, not a smirk but a real smile born from happiness.

As Naruto took his shirt off he heard a gasp from Anko.

"She bit you?" Anko asked surprised "I never took her for the kinky type." She said sounding impressed.

"It's a mate mark, it means we're official." Naruto said.

Anko pouted as she studied the mark "I wish I had a way to mark you like that." Then she had a light bulb moment "A tattoo, you're going to get a tattoo signifying that I own you!" Anko exclaimed.

Naruto sweat dropped before he shrugged off the comment. "Listen, I'm leaving for a mission in the morning, I'll be gone for at least a month, and it was brought up with Hana that we have to start looking at living arrangements that benefit all of us. So while I'm gone the two of you are going to do some house hunting."

"House hunting? Do I look like the house hunting type to you?" Anko asked rhetorically.

"Have you ever been house hunting?"

"No"

"Then how do you know you won't like it, besides you and Hana can start getting to know each other. We're going to be a family and we can't be a family if we don't know each other." Naruto said.

"Are you going to get the tattoo?"

"You were serious about that?"

"Hana staked her claim, so I should as well. Get the tattoo and me and Hana will become bffs." Anko offered.

"What kind of tattoo?" Naruto asked resigning him-self.

"Surprise me; show me that you know me. Now before you go on your mission give me the same goodbye you gave Hana." Anko said throwing her blanket aside and beckoning Naruto to her with opened arms and legs.

**AN: As a reward to myself for getting a new computer and as a reward for you for over 300 reviews, I hope you enjoyed the lemon and the twist I put on the upcoming Land of Snow arc. Taking suggestions for Narutos tattoo, nothing elaborate keep in mind, I have to be able to describe it in my writing. So don't suggest some kind of intricate dragon tattoo please. Review please and tell me how much you missed me.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: Are you surprised? Are you ecstatic, overjoyed, elated even? I know I am, I didn't expect to turn out another chapter so quickly. I just sat at my computer turned on Microsoft word and then my mind just went places and this chapter is the end result. By the way, thank you all for the wonderful reviews and suggestions for Narutos tattoo, now, on with show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto or other forms of entertainment I may be inclined to take ideas from.**

It's been almost two weeks since Naruto began his mission to the Land of Snow. He was currently on the last leg of his trip after changing boats once in Lightening Country and again in the Land of Iron. As part of his mission Naruto changed his appearance just in case he could be recognized.

He died his blonde hair to jet black and left it a stringy mess that fell all over his head and down his face so that it would shadow his eyes. He wore a contact lens in his right eye that turned the cerulean blue into a deep forest green. He covered his whisker marks with white bandages that he wrapped around the lower half of his face.

He was wearing a ragged gray traveling cloak that went all the way down to his ankles and underneath the cloak he had on closed toe boots with black cargo pants tucked into the tops, a machete was sheathed on the outside of his right thigh and tucked in his waist band at the small of his back was a tomahawk. Tied around his belt hung a headband with a scratched out music note. He wore a long sleeve mesh shirt beneath a plain black combat vest that looked like it had seen better days. From his forearms to his knuckles his hands were wrapped in white athletic tape like a boxer. He didn't carry a hip pouch or weapons holster, it was part of his image as a missing nin from the Sound Village, which was the story he made sure to circulate around about himself.

He was going to try and weasel a position within Dotos forces, the Land of Snow has a small military presence when compared to those found on the mainland so they were always looking for soldiers to swell there ranks. He figured he would start a few fights, show off his skills and hopefully get noticed and be in a position to help out Kakashi and Team 7 when they arrived.

Naruto was currently traveling on one of the most decrepit ships he has ever seen. As part of his image as a missing nin, he had to travel by the basic of means and this ship was at the very bottom. It was a slow leaking death trap held together by a combination of gum and prayers. He shook his head at the things he had to endure as a shinobi. He was leaning on the rail over-looking the choppy water and the glaciers in the distance with a far off look in his eyes. He was thinking back to the short time he spent in Wave before boarding the boat to get to Snow Country.

**(Flashback)**

The sun was just breaking through the clouds as Naruto leapt from tree to tree on his way to Wave Country. He had left Konoha well before sunrise, but not before picking up a few pieces of equipment he would need for his mission. He set him-self to a fast pace and used the same route he travelled when on his first time to Wave. As it started getting light out he decided to take to the trees instead of using the main roads.

It was 3 hours after Naruto left Konoha that he saw a break in the trees ahead and knew that his destination was seconds away, so with a final burst he made a mighty leap and landed in a crouched position in front of the bridge leading into the village. Naruto straightened up and was thankful no one was around to see him emerge from the woods, he wouldn't wanted to be mistaken for an enemy not after what these people went through with Gato.

As Naruto walked towards the bridge he noticed a gleam in the corner of his eye. When he turned to fully look at it, he saw it was a silver plaque attached to the column on the right side of the bridge, as he read the plaque he couldn't help but smile.

"_This is the Bridge of Both Arms; with the connection of this bridge to the mainland the hope of an entire island has been restored. It was named after a simple fisherman who died trying to protect his home and family."_

"_In the words of Kaiza the fisherman, if you love something you have to protect it with both arms."_

Naruto was very surprised by what he saw on the other side of the bridge. The last time he was here the village looked like it was deserted, boarded up shops, burned out buildings, empty stalls, barely a soul in sight and those he did see looked so empty. Now though it looked like the complete opposite, people were smiling and laughing although that laughter dimmed somewhat when they saw Naruto decked out in his ninja gear go past them. The food stalls were being filled and it looked like they had rebuilt some of the destroyed shops.

Out of habit and because he really didn't know where else to go Naruto went directly to Tazunas home. This was one place that didn't look like it changed too much. _'Hope it's not too early.' _Naruto thought to him-self as he knocked on the door.

_Thump, thump,thump_

"Just a moment" a female voice said that Naruto knew wasn't Tsunami.

Naruto raised his eyebrows "Maybe things have changed." He mumbled to him-self.

The door was opened to reveal a beautiful girl in her late teens; she had long dark brown hair that fell around her shoulders and down her back. She was wearing a sky blue sun dress with lilies on it and a white apron wrapped around her slender waist. As Naruto was checking her out in a semi- daze he missed the look of recognition the girl had before she hid it.

"Ahem!"

Naruto shook his head trying to reboot his mind when he heard her clear her throat. "I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning miss, but I was looking for Tazuna the bridge builder does he still live here?"

"Yes he does, whom may I say is asking for him?" she asked softly, almost shyly.

"Arashi, he will know me as Arashi." He said.

"Very well, please come in." she said and held the door open for Naruto to enter.

Naruto stepped in and stood to the side as she closed the door.

"Please wait here a moment." She said.

Naruto just nodded his head and followed the sway of her hips as she walked down the foyer and turned in the direction he knew the kitchen and dining room were. Once she was gone Naruto took a deep breath and let it out slowly trying to get his mind back on track and out of the gutter. He heard a chair scrape across a floor, and then he heard then pounding of feet coming closer. He wasn't in the least surprised to see Inari come skidding into view.

"It is you! You came back Arashi nii-san!" Inari said with a bright smile.

"I said I would come back to see you whenever I could didn't I?" Naruto said eye smiling, because his eyes were closed he wasn't prepare when Inari slammed into him and tried to squeeze the air out of him with a hug. He was able to get his trapped arms out and return the hug.

"Man Inari, you sure have gotten a lot stronger haven't you?"

"That's what happens when you spend most of your free time building things with your hands." An old grouchy voice said.

Naruto looked up at the voice and returned the smile that Tazuna was sporting. "Hey Tazuna you're looking…less old." He said.

Tazunas smiled dropped as he became indignant "Why you…don't you have any respect for your elders?"

"I meant it as a compliment, I assure you." Naruto said, but it was the truth, Tazuna was looking a lot better than the last time Naruto saw him. His gut was less paunchy, he was wearing, as usual, a sleeveless shirt and Naruto could see his arms were retaining a healthy muscle tone but more importantly it was the eyes, his eyes before had a look of desperation, now they were filled with life.

Naruto disentangled him-self from Inari and approached Tazuna with his hand outstretched and received a bone crushing handshake from the bridge builder.

"It really is good to see you again Arashi-san." Tazuna said warmly.

"You as well, by the way, I go by Naruto now not Arashi."

"You changed your name nii-san?" Inari asked.

"It's more like I changed it back."

"Come in, we were just about to have breakfast." Tazuna said and lead the way to the dining room. "What brings you back this way or can't you tell us?" Tazuna asked as the three of them sat down at the table.

"I can tell you I'm passing through on an assignment but that's about it." Naruto said.

"How long can you stay?" Inari asked.

"Just for the day I'm afraid, I leave tonight. Hey don't look so down, we can spend time together before I have to go." Naruto said as he saw Inaris face fall.

"I have school, and then I'm supposed to help Grand-pa at a new job site."

"It's okay if you want to skip the job site today, Naruto's only in town for a short while." Tazuna said "But you have to ask your mom about school."

"It's fine with me honey, you've been working so hard lately you deserve a break." Tsunami said from the door way leading into the dining.

Naruto stood up as Tsunami entered the room and met her halfway to her seat and pulled her into a hug. "You're just as beautiful as ever Tsunami-chan." Naruto whispered.

"I see you haven't lost your touch." She said as she pulled back with a blush on her face. "Sit down, breakfast should be just about ready." She said and bustled off to the kitchen.

"You heard her right? We can spend the day hanging right?" Inari said excitedly.

"Yes we can, I don't have any plans until tonight." Naruto said.

"Inari, go change out of your school clothes and put on something old?" Tazuna said.

"Okay Grand-pa, tell Haku nee-san not to eat my bacon this time, I'll be right back." Inari said rushing out of the room.

Naruto stilled when he heard that name, now Haku could be a very common name all over the Elemental Nations as far as Naruto knew, but now that he thought about it, that girl who answered the door did look a little familiar. Naruto lowered his masked and channeled chakra into his nose and took a deep sniff. He had to concentrate to filter out the smells of the cooked food coming from the kitchen but he was certain he caught the scent of medicinal herbs and clean water.

He hastily pulled his mask back up as the door to the kitchen opened and Tsunami and apparently Haku entered. He stole a glance at Tazuna who just nodded his head at his silent question. He waited until they sat the bowls of oatmeal, eggs and the plates of bacon and toast on the table before speaking. "I don't think we've been introduced yet, I'm Naruto."

"We've been introduced Naruto-kun, just not properly."

"I'm very surprised to see you here Haku, is Zabuza close by?" Naruto asked.

Haku gave Naruto a sad smile "Zabuza-sama went back to the Hidden Mist. It wasn't long after we helped you out that he was tracked down by some former colleagues and was asked to fight for the rebels in the civil war, he agreed without hesitation."

"Why didn't you go with him? The rebels could have probably used your skills."

"I offered but he said it wasn't my fight since I was never really a ninja of the Hidden Mist, his final order before he left was to find my own path and walk it. I felt Wave Country was the placed that had the most profound effect on my life so I came here. I work part time in the clinic here and Tazuna-san and Tsunami-san have been kind enough to let me stay here." Haku said with a smile gracing her face.

"It's the least we could do after what happened." Tsunami said smiling at Haku.

Inari came racing backing into the room just then "Nee-san did you eat my bacon again?" he asked panting a little.

Haku openly laughed at Inari "Your bacon is safe Inari-kun"

As Inari slid into his chair Naruto asked "How did you come to be living here?"

"That's not really important" Inari said quickly "Hmm, breakfast smells good this morning, did you do something different? Mom, have you lost weight? Grand-pa you're going to be late for work if you don't eat soon. Haku nee-san, are you doing something different with your hair?" Inari talked so fast he sentences practically ran together.

Tazuna, Tsunami and Haku were laughing at the flustered young man. There was obviously a funny story behind Haku ending up in the household.

"Now I have to know the story." Naruto said

"It's boring hardly worth mentioning." Inari insisted

"What happened was…" Tazuna began

"Come on Gramps" Inari grumbled

"My wonderful Grand-son got an idea in his head to build him-self a tree house out in the surrounding forest. But he's not allowed to use any dangerous tools without myself or Tsunami there to watch him. So his tool of choice was a glue gun." Tazuna looked at Inari and couldn't contain the full belly laugh at his Grand-sons red face. "When he hadn't showed up for lunch we got a little worried and were about to go look for him, when he walks in the door with a full body blush in nothing but his boxers, followed by Haku. Turns out he had somehow glued himself to a tree and he didn't think to take his clothes off until Haku came along and found him." Tazuna finished the story with a new round of laughter from everyone at the table except for Inari who was sullenly eating his breakfast.

After a few minutes the laughter died down and Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes "Did you ever finish the tree house?"

"No, I haven't been back out there since it happened." The young builder said.

"How about we do that today? I'll help you finish your tree house before I leave tonight." He offered.

Inari looked at him with excitement shining in his eyes "How are you going to help me build a tree house in one day?"

"I'll show you later if you want my help."

"Of course I do! This is going to be awesome!" Inari stood up from his chair "I'm going to go pull out the stuff we need from the shed, hurry up nii-san!" Inari said running out of the room and then the house.

"I better get going too" Tazuna said standing up "This village isn't going to rebuild itself. Will you be joining us for dinner Naruto?"

"As long as I'm not imposing on you too much."

"After what you did for us, you're welcome in our home anytime. I'll see you all tonight."

"I'll walk with you Tazuna-san; I have a shift at the clinic this morning. It was nice seeing you again Naruto; I hope we can speak more later."

"I look forward to it Haku." He said sincerely

"Tsunami-san I'll be back to help you prepare lunch." Haku said following Tazuna out of the dining room.

"Have a good day you two" Tsunami called out to the departing duo.

"Tsunami-chan, how have you been lately?"

"Wonderful" she said almost gushing "Ever since Gatou disappeared from our lives, I feel like an evil curse has been lifted from Wave. He plagued us for so long, he destroyed so many lives I thought we would never recover but we did and now it's like we've given our selves permission to live again."

"That's great news, amongst ninja, there's an unwritten rule that says, live each moment to its fullest. It's why we're considered adults when we receive our headbands" Naruto said tapping his own that he wore around his head "You guys, this entire village is so completely different then the last time I was here I almost didn't recognize it."

"That's not all, I've been seeing someone recently, and he owns a grocery store in town." She said fairly beaming.

"You lit up like an explosive note just now Tsunami-chan" Naruto said returning her smile "It's more than just dating isn't it?"

"I'm pregnant!" Tsunami said covering her mouth to keep the happy squeals at bay.

Naruto leaped over the table and scooped Tsunami up in a hug "Congratulations, how far along are you?"

"4 weeks, Haku is the only one who knows for now; we plan to tell Dad and Inari when we announce the engagement." Tsunami said with her smile firmly in place.

"Tsunami-chan that is great news, I hope I made the guest list." Naruto said jokingly.

"You and all of Team 7, my father told me you guys could have cancelled the mission when you found out he lied to you but you didn't" Tsunami placed her hands on Narutos cheeks and looked him in the eyes "For whatever reason you decided to come to our aid and you changed so many lives as the result."

Naruto didn't have a response so he just nodded his head "Well Inari is probably wondering where I am, so I better get going." He gave her another hug "Congratulations again"

"Thank you, lunch is at 1 o'clock and keep an I on Inari and the glue gun please."

Naruto was chuckling as he left the dining room and headed for the front door.

**(Flashback end)**

As promised Naruto helped Inari build the tree house in one day with the liberal use of **Shadow clones**, he left that evening after veritable feast with a promise from him to visit more often to Inari and with a promise to start writing to Haku.

He was pulled away from his memories by the smell of cheap sake, an unwashed body and cigarettes. He turned towards the smell and wasn't surprised to see a fellow passenger by the name of Satsui approaching him.

Satsui was probably somewhere in his early to mid-30s but to look at him your first guess would probably be around 50 yrs. old. He had greasy brown hair, shifty yellow eyes set into a pale sunken face with dark circles beneath. He had a small constantly red nose from constant drinking and a perpetual 5 o'clock shadow. He stood at about 5'5 and was very skinny almost emaciated, he had boarded the boat in Lightening country and since then he had made himself known to most everyone on board as a person who knew how to acquire things for the right price.

He had approached Naruto within an hour of coming aboard, he strolled up to Naruto like they were old friends with a wide smile, showing that whatever teeth that hadn't fallen out of his head were black as coal, before he could utter a single word Naruto sent him scrabbling away from him with a burst of killing intent a cold glare from one blue eye and one green eye. He hadn't the courage to approach him again until now.

"Excuse me, but you are Boku-san correct?" he rasped. His voice sounded like he went through 3 packs a day.

Naruto or Boku as he named himself for the mission just stared at him without answering.

Satsui shifted from foot to foot as he got the silent treatment, he cleared his throat nervously "Word around the ship is that you're a missing nin."

Still keeping silent Naruto shifted to fully face him.

Satsui quickly threw up his hands in a pleading gesture "Wait! Wait, I didn't approach you too cause you trouble, but if you're going to Snow Country looking for work I can help you."

Naruto kept up the silent treatment for a while longer just staring at the filthy little man in front of him. "How can one such as you help me?" he finally said his voice so cold and emotionless.

Satsui shivered at the sound of that voice, he could have sworn with that handful of words his death flashed before his eyes. "I..I'm a native of Snow Country; I can show you the best places to showcase your skills get you noticed. I know people that will pay good money for a trained fighter." Suddenly, Satsui couldn't breathe, it took his brain a moment to register that he was being held in the air by his throat. He pissed himself when he looked into the angry eyes of the monster of a man he approached.

"Do I look like I higher myself out for other people's entertainment or amusement? Trained fighter? I'm a trained warrior!" Naruto snarled fully into his Boku persona. Naruto turned and held his arm out over the railing of the ship "I ought to drop you in the freezing waters for wasting my time." He threatened.

Satsui franticly shook his head begging with his eyes to be spared the slow death of drowning or hypothermia. "I…I'm ….sorry please! I…can find…you…proper work" Satsui rasped out as best he could.

Naruto held him over the water a while longer giving the impression his was thinking before he hauled the man back on deck and dropped him on his ass.

Satsui greedily took in big gulps of life sustaining air as he massaged his throat.

"Tell me about this proper work" Naruto said after giving the man a moment to get himself together.

"I..(cough) know someone; we've had dealings in the past. He's the right hand of the Daimyo. I can get word to him and set up a meeting." Satsui promised.

"What's in it for you?"

"Protection, you give me your word you'll protect me during our travels to the meeting place. The last time I was here I didn't leave on good terms with a lot of people." Satsui said as he rose unsteadily to his feet.

Naruto turned back to look out over the ocean again "I'll agree on one condition, you always stay down wind of me."

"Whatever you want Boku-san, whatever you say." Satsui said as he rushed to get away from the terrifying missing nin and back to his bunk to change his pants.

The ship eventually docked later that day in some small port town away from the swankier area of Snow Country. Naruto was informed by his traveling companion that this particular port was known for harboring a pirate crew as long as they were on time with their payments to the Daimyo. After sending of a message with the last mail cart for the evening, according to Satsui we were set to meet his contact at a tavern 3 days travel from the port.

Naruto didn't think he could stomach being in this smelly man's company for that long but he would tough it out for the mission. He could have left him behind but having never been in Snow Country before he needed a guide.

Naruto spent three days in complete silence as he listened to Satsui talk nervously about any and everything under the sun. He could have shut him up at any time but the best way to gather information was to let the other person carry the conversation. He found out through Satsui's nervous chatter that the reason he really needed to walk in Narutos shadow was because he stole quite a bit of money from the local pirate crew, apparently there was a price on his head.

The roadside tavern they were to meet in was dark and hazy smoke filled dilapidated building. The meeting was set for 6 o'clock in the evening and they had been waiting since around noon, watching from a dark corner, the comings and goings of various travelers. The place was getting packed as the day wore on. Satsui was nervously nursing a bottle of sake.

"Is something on your mind Satsui?" Naruto asked suddenly, the first time he had spoken since the ship ride.

Satsui spilled his saucer of sake down his shirt at the sudden question. "No not really, it's just this place is frequented by people who I'd hope not to run into."

Naruto was spared a response when to door to the tavern was literally kicked down and about men started pouring in to the tavern with drawn swords, cleavers and clubs. One man pushed himself to the head of the horde. He was about 6 ft. with a muscular build but not overly so, he had short cropped snow white hair, round black eyes and a bandana tied around his mouth bandit style. His weapon of choice was a heavy looking spiked metal club which he seemed to hold with ease.

"Nobody move!" he said, either the leader or spokesmen for the group shouted. "We're looking for a man who calls himself Boku! Give him to us and you'll all be spared refuse and you'll all die."

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly, he knew there was no way in hell these people knew who he was, either Satsui had more balls then brains and set this ambush up or the person he contacted decided to cash in on a missing nin. In either situation he wasn't worried by the way these men held themselves, they were just thugs not trained shinobi. He slowly stood out of his seat and the white haired man.

All attention shifted to him as he walked out of the shadows. "How can I help you upstanding citizens?" Naruto said calmly and sarcastically.

"There's a reward on your head that I aim to collect."

"Is there really, how much?" Naruto asked curiously.

"$100,000"

"Is that all your life is worth $100,000? I think you've been cheated." Naruto said before he turned to the bartender "Is there a back door?" he got a very shaky nod as an answer "I saddest you and everyone else here use it." That was the last thing he said before he whipped back around with his machete in full swing and separated the spokes man's head from the rest of his body. It took a second before bandits got over the shock at the quick death of their leader.

"Kill the bastard!"

"Ahhh!"

And the battle had begun, a mean looking man wielding a switchblade was the first to reach him and was met with a kick to the sternum that dropped him like a stone, he didn't even moan in pain before he was unconscious. Naruto caught the arm of a man to his left who was swinging a cleaver in an overhead chopping motion, he side stepped another man who jabbed a knife at Narutos unprotected stomach. Bringing the cleaver wielding arm down he used it to cut off the hand of the guy he side stepped. As the man screamed in pain from the loss of his hand, Naruto ran the sharp edge of his machete across his throat silencing his screams and releasing a flood of red coursing down his body.

Still holding the wrist of the man who wielded the cleaver he drove his knee into his gut and as he was bent over, stabbed the machete through the back of his neck. Releasing the now limp wrist Naruto pulled his tomahawk out of the small of his back and advanced on the remaining horde. Narutos machete and tomahawk flashed through the bar in a flurry of swings, opening wounds and taking chunks of flesh with every swing. Naruto was proud to say he was in his element. He could perform most duties as a ninja; he could teach, spy, sabotage or gather information. But he was most at home in the thick of battle. Swinging his tomahawk into his enemy's face or bisecting another with his machete. He was a whirlwind of bloody carnage when it came to combat.

It was over before it began, every bandit lay dead or dying and Naruto was in the middle of covered in blood but once again none of it his. He looked around the bar, double checking, making sure he hadn't missed anything. He hadn't, the bar was empty except for him and the bodies.

Naruto walked towards the door bloody machete and tomahawk still in hand. He knew someone was out there he could feel them. As he stepped up to the doorway he was proven right as standing in the shadows across the road were two figures. One was clearly a female by the outline of curves in the right places and the other was clearly a man based on the sure size and mass of the shadow.

"It seems you passed our little interview" a sly female voice called out.

"Hardly an interview, I doubt there was anyone above a street fighter in the bunch" Naruto said coldly.

"Not true, there was actually a veteran Jonin amongst them, white hair, black eyes, he should have had a spiked metal club." The same voice said.

"He was the first to die" Naruto said simply.

Then the figures moved from the tree line to the center of the road where the sunlight illuminated them. Naruto was right it was a man and woman, both of them ninjas if the outfits were any indication.

The first person he took notice of was the man. He was a large man with short crop of purple hair and dark eyes. He was wearing a full body blue and white outfit and he had a bulky metal gauntlet on his left arm.

The woman was also wearing a blue and white body suit only more form fitting show off her curvaceous body. She had and green eyes. She was the one who broke the stare off. "I'm Fubuki, the land mass next to me is Mizore, and if you're Boku you passed the first interview"

Naruto didn't say anything; he merely crouched down and began cleaning his weapons using the surrounding snow never taking his eyes of the two Snow ninjas. When he was finished, he stood and made a show of slowly sheathing his machete and stashing his tomahawk in his cloak. "What's the second interview?" Naruto finally asked.

"Keeping up with us" Fubuki said as a set of mechanical wings sprang out of her back and she took to the sky.

Mizore pulled out a snowboard from behind him threw it on the ground and hopped aboard "We won't be stopping until we reach the Daimyos Palace, hope you're not tired after that little sparring session." The big man rumbled before he blasted off on his board.

Naruto dashed off after him and quickly caught up and kept a steady pace with the large snow boarder. They traveled in silence throughout the long journey to the palace. Mizore would every once and a while poor more chakra into his board and get ahead of Naruto but never for long. Fubuki every now again would swoop down take a look at Naruto then return to the sky, but none of them ever saying a word.

Four hours later, Naruto saw that he was coming into the home stretch as he ran up a winding cliff towards a huge gothic mansion. It was a long 4 hour run to the Daimyos palace, with the pace increasing every half hour. When they stopped, Naruto wasn't even breathing hard and made a point of pretending to yawn when the big man Mizore looked his way. Naruto turned away from the purple hair Snow ninja when Fubuki came in for a landing. He saw as she landed that her wings folded into some kind of device on her back.

"Let's go, Doto-sama is expecting you." She said walking through a large wrought iron gate down a massive walk.

Naruto walked behind Fubuki with Mizore bringing up the rear, he raised his eye brow as he noticed she seemed to put a lot more sway into her hips then warranted. _'Okay, I can work with that.'_ Naruto thought. Since she was putting on a free show, Naruto didn't bother to turn away even when she glanced over her shoulder.

"Like what you see, Boku-san?" she said over her shoulder.

"I wonder is your pink hair natural?" he asked.

"If you're lucky, you can find out for yourself."

"Both of you shut up, we're here." Mizore growled out behind Naruto.

And here was a set of massive double doors 20 ft. high and looked like they were made of steel. Fubuki lifted her foot and banged on the door 3 times, her foot barely touched the ground before there was a loud grinding noise and the doors began to swing inwards. Fubuki began walking through the doors before they were fully open and Naruto followed after her. When he crossed the threshold he immediately scanned his surroundings.

He was in a large foyer that spanned about 40 ft. wide and went up to the ceiling. There were lanterns lining the walls every 20 ft. which hid the ninjas in the shadows very well. Straight ahead of Naruto was a marble staircase that lead to the upper levels but that's not where we went. The pink haired Snow ninja lead him to the right of the staircase further down the hall to a metal door.

Fubuki paused before she opened it "A word of advice, be respectful towards Doto-sama, he doesn't suffer fools."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Be sure you do, I'd hate for you to die before you found out my real hair color" she said with a sultry wink, before she opened the door.

Naruto was now in what could only be described as a throne room, it was massive, big enough to fit the Hokage tower inside. His attention was drawn to the only other occupants in the room. Both were men, one was seated on a high stone platform in an ornate wingback chair. He had his cheek resting on his right fist as he longed nonchalantly in the seat.

He could tell by the wide shoulders that he was muscular but not how tall he was, he was older maybe about mid- forties with long brown hair, his eyes were too small for Naruto to tell what color they were. He had a large nose, a flat mouth and a square jaw. It could only be Doto Kazahana; the ruler of the Land of Snow.

Behind him and slightly to the right was a man probably in his mid-twenties, he had light silver blue hair in a high ponytail and sea green eyes. He had a slender build and he was armor a blue and white uniform similar to the others.

Naruto followed Fubuki until they reached the bottom of the stone platform.

"Wait here and keep silent" she ordered before leaping to the platform and kneeling in front of her master.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend, Fubuki?" Doto asked dryly.

"Doto-sama, I bring to you Boku, former ninja of the Hidden Sound Village." She said from her kneeling position.

Naruto stood silently as the ruler of Snow Country scrutinized him with his beady eyes.

"Even so far away from the mainland we've heard news of Sounds utter defeat at the hands of Konoha" Doto finally said smirking "Is that why you ran all the way out here, to get away from the shame of your defeat?"

"Yes" Naruto said simply "No one would think to look for me in such an insignificant little country" and even though Doto couldn't see it behind his bandaged covered mouth Naruto smirked anyway.

His reply wiped the smirk off of Dotos face, and earned him a glare from the blue haired man behind him. He felt Mizore move closer to his back but didn't acknowledge him. He kept his attention on Doto who regarded him silently, before a mocking smile formed on his face.

"Hahahaha…Do you consider yourself brave or foolish to mock a lion in his den?" he didn't bother to wait for a reply "How would you rate his skills Fubuki?"

"High Jonin" she said immediately "I sent Eiji and his pirate crew as a test, he killed them all without any jutsu or injury to himself. Then he ran here for 4 hours non-stop and wasn't even winded."

"Eiji? Wasn't he the man who taught you Nadare?" Doto asked without looking behind him.

"Yes he was, Doto-sama." Nadare said through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry for your loss, if you'd like, I can take you to the tavern and help you match his head with his body." Naruto said coldly

Nadare snarled and was about to leap down and attack before the laughter of his Lord kept him in his place.

"Hahahahaha! There it is again, Fubuki, get him a uniform and show him to the barracks."

"Yes Doto-sama" she rising from her kneeling position.

She hopped down next to Naruto and led him back the way he came, once they were out of the throne room with the doors closed behind them, Fubuki pushed Naruto against the door and leaned into his face, Naruto grabbed the handle of his machete just in case.

"Oh you are a dangerous one, aren't you Boku-san?" she said with a teasing smile on her face. "Not only do you mock Doto-sama but Nadare as well. You better watch your back around him, Eiji was like and older brother to him, he will be coming for you eventually."

"Thank you for the warning" he suddenly reversed their positions but also turned her around so that he was pressed against her back, he ground his hardening cock against her ass, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear "Now here is _your_ warning, watch your back, sooner or later you'll come for _me._"

He felt her shiver before she pushed her ass into his cock at met him grind for grind. She wiggled her ass around until Naruto gave her enough room to turn around and face him. She reached for his bandages but didn't get far before he caught her hands in his and held them above her head.

She struggled briefly trying to free her hands, but her struggles ceased when Naruto held both her hands above her head with his left hand and grabbed her crotch with his right. Her startled gasp was muffled as she buried her face in his shoulder. Naruto worked his palm in small circles around her covered clit, slowly at first but then sped up as her thighs tightened around his hand.

"Wwwwwait! Not here, we can't be caught here!" she whispered franticly.

"Is your room far?"

She didn't answer just grabbed his hand and they disappeared in a swirl of snow. They reappeared in what he assumed was her bedroom, it was pretty Spartan, no windows and a dresser with a single lamp on top was all he could see before he was pushed on the bed and his lap was straddled by the horny Snow kunoichi.

She parted the bandages around his mouth and slammed her lips on top of his, Naruto returned the kiss just as fiercely before grabbing her around her thighs and lifting her up. Her legs instantly went around his hips as they continued to kiss, he purposely slammed her back against her bedroom wall hoping to set off her wings which he did.

"Shit! I forgot about the armor. Get comfortable I'll be right back." She said as Naruto set her on her feet and she walked to a door on the far side of the room which turned out to be a bathroom. After she went into the bathroom and closed the door, Naruto began undressing; he took of the bloodied cloak, the stained hand wraps and the beaten flak jacket. The mesh shirt followed, he pulled the tomahawk from his back and sat it on the dresser, the sheathed machete soon rested next to it, he kicked off his boots as he unbuckled and slid his pants off.

Sitting on the bed in nothing but plain black boxers, he reached down and picked up one of his discarded boots and rotated the heel revealing a hidden compartment within, upturning the heel a small clear plastic baggy fell into his hand. Inside the bag were 3 threading needles. What was so special about these needles was that they were coated in a very strong muscle relaxer; it was a combination hypno-drug and truth serum. It was favored among interrogators in case you didn't want to leave any visible evidence that someone had been questioned. Very good for weak minded interrogation prisoners, which Fubuki was unknowingly about to become.

He took out one of the needles and placed it carefully between the middle and ring finger of his right hand before stowing the rest back in his boot. He sat with his back against the head board and waited for his target to come back in.

It wasn't long before the door opened and Fubuki stood frame in the light of the bathroom sans armor, her pink hair fell just below chin level and she was wearing black bicycle shorts and a matching sports bra. She walked, no, more like swayed to the foot of the bed, then crawled towards Naruto on her hands and knees until she once again straddled his lap right over his crotch moaning as she ground her pussy against the hard ridges of his cock.

"I'm glad you didn't take the bandages off, I like a man of mystery and the blood helps." She said.

Naruto slapped her sharply on the ass with the hand he held the needle in injecting her with the muscle relaxer "Bad girls like you need to be treated accordingly"

"Oh! Yes, that's just how I liiike itt puuunnnissh meee…" she trailed off as her eyes went glassy and took on a far off look.

Naruto grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes "What's your name" Naruto asked in a calm soothing voice, like he was talking to a small child.

"Fubuki (fill in last name later)" she said in a far-away voice.

"What is your occupation?"

"Elite Jonin of the Land of Snow"

"Is Doto aware Princess Koyuki is on her way to Snow Country" Naruto asked.

"Yes, Doto-samas spies have been watching her since Nadare confirmed that the actress Yukie Fujikaze is actually Koyuki Kazahana."

"When does he expect her to arrive?"

"In 3 weeks, she was recently scene boarding a boat leaving the mainland, one of his spies managed to steal the shoot schedule, he is aware of where she will be at all times."

"Does he know of any security detail?"

"Yes, she was seen boarding the boat with Kakashi Hatake and 3 younger Leaf shinobi, 2 boys and a girl."

"Do you have a description of the younger Leaf Shinobi?"

"Only that both boys had black hair and the girl had pink hair."

Naruto decided not to pursue that line of questioning it didn't really matter who Kakashi got to feel in on his team "What does Doto want with Koyuki?"

"He believes she holds the key to the Kazahana clan treasure."

"What key?"

"The hex crystal"

"How does Doto plan to capture Koyuki?"

"We haven't been given a plan yet."

"Great, which means I have to improvise" Naruto said to himself "Tell me about the chakra armor."

"I only know the basics, it boosts the users own chakra and jutsu. It also negates an enemy's genjutsu and ninjutsu."

"Do you know where the chakra armor is being made or who designs them?"

"Only Doto-sama knows that."

"You have been most helpful, when you awake in the morning you will not remember being questioned, you will have vivid memories of a night of incredible sex. You will even walk with a limp and think of me as the man who ruined you for all other men" Naruto said _'I do have an image to maintain'_ he thought. "Now sleep" he said in the same calm and soothing voice.

Her eyes closed as she slumped forward, Naruto caught her by the shoulders and laid her on the mattress beside him. Naruto then lay down next to her and got comfortable, he was basically stuck there until the morning.

**(3 three weeks later)**

"One man you've already beaten and 3 fresh out of the academy genins against my elite and you fail?" Doto said calmly. He was in his throne room addressing a kneeling Nadare, Mizore and Fubuki. They had just gotten back from their failed attempt to ambush the Konoha ninjas and bring his niece and the hex crystal to him as he had ordered. "Would you care to explain how exactly that was possible?"

"My apologies Doto-sama, we underestimated them."

Doto's glare was only half wasted, because even though Nadares eyes were on the ground he still felt it on the back of his neck. "Nadare, do I need to impress upon you the seriousness of the situation?"

"No, my Lord, we will not fail you again."

"Is the train prepped and ready?"

"Yes my Lord, it can leave at a moment's notice." Fubuki said.

"Since it seems you 3 can't get the job done on your own anymore, be sure to invite Boku-san." Doto ordered.

Nadare stiffened at the mention of the recently hired missing nin. With all the preparation for that day's mission he never had a chance to exact his revenge for the killing of his former sensei.

"Is there a problem Nadare? If you don't feel you can work with Boku-san perhaps you should stay here and guard the mansion."

Nadare quietly seethed _'After all I've done, he treats me like this!'_ "I'll be fine Doto-sama."

"Good, we leave in the morning, you are dismissed." Doto said calmly.

While Doto was busy reaming out his elite squad, Naruto was finally making contact with Team7. He knew from another round of interrogation of Fubuki that they planned an ambush at one of the filming sites. So he followed them from a distance and waited until the film crew arrived and he was surprised to see that Kakashi had the mini taijutsu master Lee as a part of his team.

During the ensuing battle, he snuck aboard the ship and stowed himself in the crow's nest to wait out the fight and report to Kakashi as soon as he could. That opportunity came when 2 hours later when all the excitement died down and the ship had docked. He waited until the deck had cleared of the film crew before he shimmied down the mast and didn't waste time before skulking to the lower cabins.

It was dark below decks only a single lantern lighting the way, he followed the sound of voices coming from further along. He crept forward cautiously with his back pressed close to the wall but not on it. He was almost to the opening when he heard the unmistakable last drawl of Kakashis voice.

"Yukie Fujikaze is an alias; her real name is Koyuki Kazahana rightful heir to the throne of the Land of Snow."

Naruto flared his chakra 3 times in rapid succession, paused for a count of 5 then flared it 3 more times.

"Come in, I was hoping to hear from you soon." Kakashi said.

When Naruto appeared in the doorway, everyone who was seated jumped to their feet, the 3 civilians in the room scrabbled over themselves to get as far back as was possible and the ninjas minus Kakashi all grabbed for their weapons.

"Hold it, he's on our side." Kakashis statement had the 3 genins looking back and forth between the uniformed Snow ninja and their jonin leader.

"Kakashi sensei how is a Snow ninja on our side?" Sakura asked in alarm.

"I'm truly hurt that you don't recognize me Sakura-chan. After all we've been through together, the long sweaty nights we've shared." Naruto said teasingly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she screeched with her face turning redder by the second.

"I will not have you besmirching the beautiful Sakuras name in such a way; I challenge you to a duel of honor!" Lee said before he shifted into his Strong Fist stance.

"Alright, everyone calm down, normally I wouldn't mind the teasing but now isn't the time Naruto." Kakashi said.

The eyes of Team 7 widened at the name.

"Naruto?"

"My eternal rival?"

"Hn?"

"Sorry about the levity, just trying to break the tension, Kakashi." The disguised Chunin said as he walked further into the room.

"Kai!"

"It's really me Sakura; this is hair dye and a contact lens." Naruto said gesturing towards his hair and green eye.

"What do you have to report?" Kakashi asked.

"Wait a minute, what is he even doing here, we don't need his help." Sasuke said sneering at Naruto.

Kakashi sighed exasperation "Sasuke, Naruto was a part of this mission before you were. He was sent in ahead of us to gather information and if you close your mouth he can now share that information with the rest of us."

Sasukes clamped his lips together in a firm line as he was reprimanded in public.

Naruto took a seat at the table they were all gathered at, he glanced at the 3 civilians as they made their way back to the table when the possible violence seemed to pass. "Shouldn't we clear the room first?" he asked looking at the 3 of them.

"This is Sandayu Asama" Kakashi pointed out a man who looked to be in his late 40s with long brown hair pulled into a pony tail, a neatly trimmed beard and small round glasses perched on his nose "he was an advisor under the former leader of Snow Country Sosetsu Kazahana, what you have to say can be said in front of him. However but you two will have to excuse us." Kakashi he said politely to the other two gentlemen who turned out to be the director and his assistant.

"Awww, do we really have to?" the assistant whined.

"Come on you fool, with all that's happening we have major rewrites to supervise." The director said grabbing the other man by the arm and hauling him out of the room.

"Koyuki-hime, you might as well come in, this concerns you as well." Kakashi said, and sure enough, not a second after the director and assistant cleared the doorway, Koyuki was standing in there leaning on the door jam.

"Now Naruto, what do you have to report?"

"After spending 3 weeks here, I can tell you he's ruthless and cunning. As you can ascertain from the ambush, Doto knew you were coming, with that failure he most likely has a backup plan already under way." Naruto glanced around to make sure he had their attention. "His goal is the Kazahana clan treasure and he believes the hex crystal that was in the possession of Koyuki is the key, although I doubt he's going to stop there he's most likely going to kill you once he gets what he wants." Naruto said looking over his shoulder at the Princess.

"I don't care, he can have the crystal and my life, I don't care about either of them." She said coldly.

Naruto was surprised to hear her say that _'What the hell has gotten into her? She wasn't this fatalistic when I knew her"_

"Koyuki-hime you must not say things like that, we were frantic worrying about you. We never gave up praying you were alive." Sandayu insisted.

"After that night ten years ago, I stopped living. I walk, I talk but I don't feel. I don't care whether I live or die." She said without any emotion in her voice.

"Koyuki-hime, the people need you! You have to take your rightful place as leader of the land of Snow" Sandayu said coming around the table and dropping to his knees in front of her "We would gladly take up arms and fight for you if only you would stake your claim."

Naruto watched as Koyuki stared at the man with absolutely no emotion on her face. The woman he had gotten to know during his stretch as a security was nowhere to be found on her face. The Koyuki that he knew was ill-tempered sure but she had a fire behind her eyes that drew Naruto to her. He couldn't believe that this woman devoid of any emotion and the woman with a hidden volcano beneath the surface were one and the same.

"I don't think so" she said coldly, shocking everyone in the room.

"But what about the people, they need you." Sandayu pleaded still on her knees.

"I could care less about the people" was the last she said before walking away.

There was complete silence as she walked away; no one spoke until the sound of door was heard in the distance. "What a bitch" Naruto said into the silence.

"Please do not judge her harshly; she has her reasons for..."

"I don't care! Every time I leave the village on a mission I have to play psychiatrist to someone or compare childhood traumas to see who has had it worse" Naruto stood and starting pacing behind his chair "You can send the princess to therapy after this is all over but for now we have to come up with a plan, to take out Doto."

"Naruto's right, let's get back on track" Kakashi said "Does Doto have any weaknesses we can exploit?"

"I've only met him once briefly that was when I first got here. I haven't seen him since" Naruto reached under his cloak and slid a folded piece of paper towards Kakashi at the other end of the table. "That's a map of as much of the mansion as I could cover so far. There are a lot of restricted areas I couldn't get into, but there are a few good entry points, maybe you can make something out of that."

Kakashi picked up the map and studied it briefly before passing it around the table "I'll let you know if I come up with anything, any idea what his next move will be?"

"Not a clue, whatever he's going to do will be…I just realized we know exactly where he's going to strike next."

"We do? How do we know that?" Lee asked

"He has a copy of their filming schedule, that's how he knew where to ambush you today. We could set a trap for him at the next film site and be done with it." Naruto suggested

"Solid plan, except we don't know how he's going to attack." Sasuke sneered

"That's a good point, well I can do what I did today and follow them and strike when an opportunity presents itself." Naruto said

"That leaves a lot room for error, we better take precautions for now" Kakashi picked up the map when it made its way back to him and put it in his pocket. "You head back and be our ace in the hole, we may need a trump card and soon."

"I have been gone long enough, I left a clone behind but you know how fragile they can be." He looked between the 3 genin still seated at the table "If we come across each other on the battle field don't hold back, come at me with the intent to kill, we can't afford any slip ups and expose me as a spy."

He got two nods of understanding from Lee and Sakura and an "Hn" from Sasuke. After that Naruto left the little dining cabin and made the trip back to Dotos mansion.

The next day Naruto found himself as part of Dotos traveling entourage. He was one of only a few who were standing within Dotos personal luxury compartment. They were chugging along to the next film sire where Doto was planning to overwhelm Team 7 and take Koyuki by force.

Naruto finally felt the train stop its constant motion and with a hand motion from Doto was ordered to follow him to the portion of the train that connected the rail cars. It was from the middle of the rail cars that he addressed his niece.

"It's been ten years dear niece, don't you have a hug for your favorite uncle?" he asked cruelly. Koyuki stared in open mouthed shock at the reason for ten years of nightmares. Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by tree trunks rolling down the nearby hilltop and colliding with the train.

We all looked in the direction they came from and on the hill was about 50 men all dressed in samurai armor and carrying weapons, and standing front and center leading these men was Sandayu Asama. "It's been ten years Doto, but finally I, Sandayu Asama and fifty of men will have our revenge for the death of our beloved ruler Sosetsu Kazahana!" he said pulling a sword from a sheath at his side. "Men take a good look, it is our Princess Koyuki and rightful ruler of these lands, with her here to witness it; we'll be victorious!"

"Nadare, I thought you got rid of all these peasant rebels." Doto said calmly while looking at mass of men.

"My apologies Doto-sama, allow me to correct my mistake." Nadare asked with a bowed head.

"These insects will only understand an overwhelming show of force before they are squashed." With a signal from Doto, several train compartments on the train opened up to reveal some kind of weapon mounted contraption manned by several Snow ninjas.

"Doto-sama, forgive me for speaking out of turn but if you would allow me, I believe I can make an even stronger statement on my own." Naruto said coming up with a plan on the fly "Allow me to succeed where Nadare failed."

Doto turned to look at the foreign shinobi silently "Very well" he said after a few seconds "Show me that I haven't made a mistake in granting you a place in amongst my forces."

Naruto bowed before jumping from the train.

"Now is our time men…attack!" Sandayu said and lead his men in a full on charge.

Naruto casually walked towards the charging men at the same time as he grabbed his machete stilled sheathed on his thigh. He took one calming breath and as the blade cleared its sheath he disappeared in a blurred, faster than the people charging or watching could see, you couldn't even mark his progress as he didn't even leave footprints in the snow.

The charging Samurais seemed to all stop in their tracks with his disappearance; they all stood there for what seemed like eternity but was actually less than 10 seconds.

Naruto reappeared in the same place he started in the processing of sheathing his blade, as the blade was fully seated within the sheath, the fifty men all seemingly collapsed in unison as blood misted from their bodies and settled on the white snow surrounding them.

"Hahahahahaha!" Dotos cruel laughter echoed around the mountain, Koyuki and Lee's gasp of horror could be heard by all.

Naruto turned in their direction and began to slowly approach them "Princess, I think it's time for a family reunion, so come quietly or not." His walk was interrupted by a kunai with an exploding tag landing in his path, he jumped back to avoid its detonation range, he was forced to retreat back to the train as more kunai were thrown at him and the train. He made it back to the train just as an avalanche was started and partially buried the train. He looked back as the train pulled away to see the faces of Koyuki and Team 7 looking at him with utter shock on their faces, he shrugged as he retreated back to Dotos luxury cabin.

Back at the massacre on the mountain Lee was walking towards the newly arrived members of Team 7 in a daze. "D-d-did you see what he did? He killed them all. He wasn't supposed to kill them."

Kakashi was watching as the film crew was gathering the bodies of the fallen and checking for survivors "Calm down Lee, its fine." Kakashi said

Lee turned sharply towards Kakashi an angry scowl on his face "Calm down, its fine, have you lost your mind? These people were fighting to get their country and we are here to help them and Naruto just killed them! How can be so clam at a time like this?"

"Because I trust Naruto to do the right thing he wouldn't kill innocents in cold blood. It's not in his nature." Kakashi turned away from the angry genin as Sakura and Sasuke approached at a jog.

Sakura was out of breath but had a very relieved look on her face "Kakashi sensei, there alive! All of them, they're all alive, he didn't kill a single one."

Kakashi just nodded his looked around him and saw the fallen men gingerly sitting up with help of the film crew; he turned a walked towards Sandayu, Koyuki who was standing over him jumped back in surprise. As he sat in an upright position his armor fell from his shoulder revealing a long cut from his left shoulder to his right hip.

Kakashi approached Sandayu and placed a hand on his shoulder gently urged him to lie down.

"H-how is it possible, I thought you were all killed." Lee said, from his position over Kakashis shoulder.

"I don't know, I thought I was dead as well, the only thing I remember is seeing Naruto-san disappear then darkness, I thought it was the end, until I woke up with the princess standing over me." Sandayu explained

Kakashi who had been silently examining the wound on his chest finally spoke "It was the shock that caused you to black out, this cut is shallow; it'll leave a scar but it's not life threatening."

"Do you see why I didn't want to come back here? That man wasn't even your real enemy and he decimated you all, next time Doto will kill you and there is no way around it." Koyuki said turning her back on them.

"I have never met anyone so un-youthful in all my days; these men put their lives on the line for you, for their country and you don't even care. These people deserve better than you." Lee said glaring at Koyuki.

I never thought I would say this but he's right." Sandayu said.

Koyuki spun around to stare at her manager in shock.

Sandayu shakily stood on his feet with the help of Sakura "If Sosetsu-sama were alive today, he would be so a shamed of who; you have become. I foolishly thought; that once you saw that we were willing to fight for you, that it would stir something in you, but I was wrong" Sandayu bent down to retrieve his fallen sword, he stood and looked Koyuki in the eye "I don't know who's worse, Doto, who feels nothing for anyone but himself or you who feels nothing for no one not even for yourself." With that said, he walked away without another word.

"Sandayu?" Koyuki whispered

(Rumble…Rumble…Rumble)

The people on the mountain turned to see a floating balloon appearing on from below the cliffs, as the balloon got higher they could see attached to the bottom was a train compartment and standing in the open compartment door was the Snow ninja Mizore, his eyes widened as he took in the still very much alive rebels. He shook the shock off quickly and fired the cables in his gauntlet at the princess and snatched her right from the ground.

"Aaaaah!"

Before anyone could react she was hauled inside the floating contraption.

"Damn it! What do we do now?" Sasuke said

"Now, we come up with a plan and get her back" was the muffled reply.

They all looked around, not far from where Koyuki had been standing the snow began to rise up to reveal Naruto.

"Naruto? I thought you got back on the train?" Sakura said.

"I switched out with a clone, which has been swiftly dispersed once Mizore informed Doto that the rebels were still alive." Naruto looked in the direction the balloon had went "I do know that they were planning on going to some kind of hidden valley west of here to retrieve the treasure once they got the key from Koyuki."

"Well what if they don't have the key?" Kakashi asked holding up a crystal on a string. "I switched out the real hex crystal with a fake, would they still take her to this secret valley?"

"I don't know, our best bet is to split up, I'll take Lee to the valley you take Sakura and Sasuke to the mansion." Naruto suggested.

"Sounds good to me, Sasuke, Sakura, prepare to move out." Kakashi ordered.

"Wait, we can help, we know this country better than you we can get you there by the quickest way." Sandayu said

"We can't afford to lag behind, gather anyone ready to travel now, we have to get going." Kakashi urged

"Five minutes and we'll be ready" Sandayu promised

"Lee?" Naruto turned to the green clad genin "we have a long way to go"

"YOSH! LET US FINALLY PUT AN END TO THE MOST UB-YOUTHFUL DOTO!"

Naruto flinched back at the volume. "Lee we're on a mountain, bring the volume down before you cause an avalanche."

"Sorry"

"I'll meet you at the valley Kakashi, let's go Lee!" Naruto said and took off back down the train tracks that lead to the ice cave with Lee on his heels. It was a long difficult run over the snowy and twisting terrain to the other end of the island where the valley was. By the time they got to their destination it was falling to darkness.

Naruto and Lee finally arrived at the edge of the valley.

"It is too late, Doto has beaten us here." Lee said.

Naruto watched as Doto dumped Koyuki on the ground and approached some kind of shrine. He watched as he inserted the crystal into the center, light spread out from the center and then all throughout the valley. Naruto and Lee waited on the cliff side for something to happen; even Doto was looking around in confusion.

"Lee do you feel that?" Naruto asked looking around him.

"What do you feel?" Lee asked confused.

"It's getting warmer, look over there." He pointed in the direction of a tall pillar of snow "It's melting"

"A heat generator? That's the treasure of the Kazahana clan? This is nothing, that bastard brother of mine was worthless!" Doto raged

"Alright Lee, I'll distract him while you get the princess out of there." Naruto summoned a clone and took off down the cliff. "Hey, Doto!" Naruto yelled to get the dictators attention "I would like to officially tender my resignation"

"You traitorous scum, I had a feeling I should have killed you when you showed up." Doto sneered.

"Let's skip the name calling and try to kill each other in a manly fashion. **Wind Style: Divine Down Current Jutsu!"** Naruto called, a powerful vortex of wind was released from his hands, his clone quickly followed **"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!" **the two powerful jutsu coalesced into a writhing white hot dragon.

"**Celestial Dragon Bomb!"**

Even Doto wasn't confident enough in his chakra armor to stand before such a devastating attack. He activated his wings and launched himself in the air, he watched from the air with gritted teeth as the white dragon burn a trench in the snow covered ground. **"Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!" **Doto launched the devastating attack from above.

Naruto and his clone dodged the jutsu and had to jump to more solid ground as the dragon decimated the area they were in. He cupped his hands for his clone to use as leverage and launched him in the air at the winged Doto. The clone missed Doto but clipped one of the wings knocking Doto out of the sky.

Doto was quick to recover and stand on his feet, Naruto was waiting for him with a swirling orb of blue chakra in his right hand.

Doto scoffed at the technique "Do you honestly think that pitiful jutsu will pierce my armor? I'm going to enjoy crushing you into oblivion."

"You don't stand a chance in hell Doto, you never did."

Doto began his hands seals but before he could finish two hands shot out from the ground beneath him and clamp down on his ankles with an iron grip.

"**Rasengan!"**

Before he knew it the blue orb was grinding away against the chakra shield generated by his armor "You're finished Doto!" Naruto snarled as he pressed harder into the shield and was rewarded with the crack in Dotos armor.

Doto hearing the crack and seeing pieces of his armor falling away took a wild swing and connected with the side of Naruto who exploded in a cloud of smoke.

"**Odama Rasengan!"**

Doto looked up at the shout his eyes widened in horror as he saw the same blue orb only twice as big was descending on him from above. Dotos mouth was open in a silent scream that would never be heard as his organs were quickly ground into liquid.

"Princess Koyuki! Princess!"

Naruto turned around to see Sandayu and the rest of Team 7 converge on Koyuki and Lee.

"Sandayu!" Koyuki screamed as she broke away and ran into her mangers arms with tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for the way I've been!"

Sandayu wrapped his arms around his charge and held her as she cried and pleaded for his forgiveness over and over. "All is forgiven Princess Koyuki, your father would be so proud of you."

"Koyuki, the easy part is over, the hard part hasn't started yet, and I hope you're ready for it."

Koyuki turned still within the shell of Sandayus arms to look at the person that had spoken to her; it was the shinobi who disposed of her uncle.

"Thank you for all you've done, the Land of Snow is in your debt."

"No it isn't I was just doing my duty. It was nice to see you again Koyuki."

Koyuki's brow crinkled in confusion "Have we met before?"

In response Naruto reached up and removed his green contact lens "I had blonde hair at the time and was going by the name Arashi." Naruto said eye smiling, and because he was smiling with his eyes closed he missed the look of recognition and the flash of fury but he felt the slap that turned him in the other direction.

"I don't think I deserved that"

**(Konoha)**

Team 7 stayed an extra two weeks to provide protection for Koyuki until she could set up her defenses. In all that time Koyuki refused to even acknowledge Narutos presence. Naruto was completely confused but he swore to himself he would find out eventually.

As the returned team was making their way through the village and towards the Hokage Tower they heard a rhythmic chant getting steadily closer from behind them. They all turned to see what it was and then moved aside as a procession of academy students jogged by.

Naruto smile when he saw Konohamaru in the head of the run and he was also calling out a cadence in his cracking almost teenage voice.

"**Up in the morning with the rising sun!"**

"Up in the morning with the rising sun!"

"**Gonna run all day til the running's done!"**

"Gonna run all day til the running's done!"

"**If the Kage asks me to go and fight!"**

"If the Kage asks me to go and fight!"

"**Gonna fight all day til I drop and rot!"**

"Gonna fight all day til I drop and rot!"

"**If I'm told to run and hide!"**

"If I'm told to run and hide!"

"**Gonna say "Hell no!" then kick her in the eye!"**

"Gonna say "Hell no!" then kick her in the eye!"

Naruto shook his head at the last verse and didn't concern himself with hiding his laughter. "I did not teach him that and will not take the blame." He said to himself.

"It's kind of catchy" Kakashi said

"SUCH YOUTH SHOULD BE CELEBRATED WITH 500 LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE!" Lee said before he shot off, leaving a trail off dust behind him.

"Where does he get all his energy?" Sakura asked no one in particular.

"I was going to dismiss you when we got to the Tower but since Lee is already gone there's no reason to hold you two back, Naruto and I can handle the debriefing, take the next couple of days off to rest up and adjust, I'll send for you when I want to meet." Kakashi said to his two students.

"Thanks sensei, I've been dying to get back in my own bed, good bye Sasuke, Naruto-kun." Sakura said before turning and heading off home.

"Bye Sakura-chan"

Sasuke barely acknowledged Sakuras farewell with a nod and didn't even give that much to Kakashi and Naruto. But to be fair Kakashi already had his nose in his book and Naruto walked away having absolutely no intention of speaking to the Uchiha. It was a silent walk the rest of the way, to the tower. As they neared the Hokages office Kakashi quickly put his book away knowing full well what awaited him if he was caught reading it in the presence of Tsunade.

Naruto was about to knock on the door when he heard loud but muffled voices coming from inside. He was debating whether to interrupt when the decision was taken out of his hands.

(**CRASH!)**

Narutos collapsible bo-staff was in his hand in an instant and his foot was already connecting with the door knocking it off its hinges. He sprang into the room with Kakashi right behind and immediately pulled up short. He came in expecting Tsunade to be under attack, but what he saw was Hiruzen Sarutobi on his knees in the middle of the room apparently begging Tsunade not to drop her desk on his head. Off to the side of the confrontation was, to his surprise, Temari of the Desert, looking on in glee at the imminent danger Sarutobi was in and next to her was her Jonin sensei, Baki looking on in sympathy.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Tsunade looked up in surprise apparently too engrossed with inflicting bodily harm on her former sensei to notice her door being kicked in. "Oh Naruto, perfect, you can help me kill him" she said nodding at the still cowering former Hokage.

"Why would I be helping you to kill him?"

"Because apparently one of his last acts as Hokage was to arrange a marriage for you with Temari over there" now gesturing at Temari who waved at him shyly "without telling me or you about it."

Naruto looked back and forth between Temari and the old man who wouldn't meet his eyes; he even looked at Baki for confirmation and got a nod. Naruto slowly advanced on Hiruzen "Between the two of us we can make this look like an accident."

**AN: Well there you go folks! Some of you may be wondering about that scene with Tsunami, I just felt I had to close the book on her. I'm trying to steer Narutos relationships toward women with a warrior's spirit who can stand with Naruto not only in battle but can also form a connection at soul level. Tsunami just didn't fit the mold and honestly I'm on the fence about Koyuki. If I think on it hard enough I can probably find a place for her but I fear it would look like a half assed attempt to pad Narutos harem list and ruin a significant part of the story. Please excuse the spelling mistakes but I'm tired and I just want to get this out there. Please review I have bills to pay.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: Not a long chapter just a little something to keep me in your thoughts. On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and was in no way, shape or form involved with the process of creating it.**

**(The morning Naruto left for his mission)**

"_Okay Hana, you're almost done, one more good push" Tsunade said._

_Hana was panting and her face was drenched in sweat but she gave an enthusiastic nod and squeezed the hand that she was holding until she could feel the bones grinding together. She turned her head to look into the wide smiling face of her husband._

"_You're doing great Hana-chan" Naruto said before wiped her sweaty forehead and placed a kiss on it afterwards._

"_Naruto" she said in between pants "After this kid is born if you ever touch me again, I'm going to neuter you. You did this to me, you blonde walking penis!" and she was about to lunge at him before an almighty pain brought her back to more important business._

"_Hana, the last time…and push!" Tsunade ordered._

"_AAAAh! Kami!" Hana screamed as she expelled another human being from her body._

"_WAAAH! WAAAH! WAAAH!"_

"_It's a boy!" Tsunade announced_

"_Wow, listen to the lungs on that kid" Naruto said proudly, he watched with tears in his eyes as his son was cleaned then swathed in a blue blanket._

_Hana was exhausted but sat up regardless as her child was brought to her, she cradled him in her arms and folded the blankets back to get a good look, he was beautiful, and he had that wild Inuzuka hair like her mother and brother, but had those wonderful cerulean blue eyes that no one other than a Namikaze would have. Her tears mixed with the sweat of her face as she kissed his forehead and whispered. "Welcome to the world"_

"I know that look"

Hana was jettisoned from her dream by that simple statement. She quickly looked around her wondering what she was doing in the Konoha hot springs, then she remembered with a blush why she was here, she had woken up that morning feeling phantom pains in rarely used muscles after her exhausting evening with Naruto.

Hana she shook herself and focused on who had interrupted her very pleasant dream, to her surprise it was the same person she had intended on tracking down later that day. "Good morning Anko, what did you say?"

Anko dropped her towel and slid into the steaming water opposite Hana "When I came in, you had what I can only describe as euphoric look about you. I know that look, I've seen it in the mirror enough lately to recognize it, and so, were you getting married, pregnant or giving birth?"

Hana smiled widely not at all ashamed of her dream "The last one, I've been thinking about him on and off since we first met, then when we started dating I would dream about my wedding day, or I would be standing next to someone in this huge field of grass watching a bunch of rug rats chase each other around, the other person was always a blur, nothing stood out about him" Hana looked Anko completely in her eye in order to convey her seriousness "I know that other person is Naruto now, I feel it with everything I am, I don't want to lose him and I won't ask him to choose, so I'm asking you, will this work, the 3 of us I mean?"

Anko smiled, not smirked but smiled "We're going to do fine Hana-chan; Naruto wouldn't have it any other way. The reason I came here looking for you is to get to know you better, Naruto said it and I agree, we can't be a family if we're strangers"

Hana nodded "How did you know I would be here?"

Anko leered at Hana and gave her a perverted giggle "I know our Naruto-kun"

Hana flushed a scarlet red but she still smiled when she heard Anko say "our" "Anko, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure ask me almost anything, I'm not the shy type" said the smirking snake mistress

"How do _you_ feel about the situation we're in? Sharing Naruto I mean" Hana explained.

Anko shrugged "I'm fine with it; I've known the truth about Naruto since the first day he came back, although I didn't expect to be with him at this point, I figured we would have fun and then when his identity was known we'd call it quits and that would be that" Anko sighed heavily "I should have known better though, he got past the walls I set up, he knew he won my heart before I did. I knew what I was in for once his heritage was out in the open, but it didn't matter. He's worth it, he has a heart big enough to share with all of the Land of Fire, so it was an easy decision really, be on the outside looking in or share him and claim a place in his heart forever"

"Is it that simple?"

Anko whipped her head around at the question, while Hanas eyes flew to the shadowed door way leading from the locker rooms.

Anko and Hana were surprised to see Tsunades assistant Shizune step out of the doorway with a towel wrapped around her body and one around her head.

"Is it that simple a decision, share him or don't have him at all?" she asked again walking towards the other two kunoichi.

Anko eyed her curiously but still answered "Yeah, it is that simple when you're dealing with Naruto, either you think he's worth sharing or you don't, I think he's worth sharing"

"So do I" Hana said staring at Shizune whom she had met a couple of times since she's come back to the village with the Fifth Hokage.

Shizune sat down on the edge of the hot spring and dipped her feet in but didn't submerge her body; she stared at the water in deep thought. She had come to the hot spring that morning wanting to work out the muscle kinks from a 12 hour shift at the hospital. She was rounding the corner when she heard Hana ask her question about sharing Naruto. _'It can't be that simple can it, is he worth sharing? _Shizune thought to herself _'How the hell would I know?'_ she replied back to herself'_We barely know Naruto; you've been avoiding him ever since you found out about the C.R.A. Do you want to be Tsunade, 50 years old and only just finding the man you should have been with? Don't forget you won't have the luxury of Uzumaki genes to keep you from sagging at 50 years of age' _

Shizune blinked _'that was pretty harsh inner me, where did that come from?' 'You need a kick in the pants girly, Tsunade herself has been hinting and pushing you in his direction, she knows the score, she knows what it's like to be where you are, she ran from her feelings for Jiraiya ever since she was a young girl, she sees you about to do the same thing, you say you don't really know Naruto, stop hiding from him and get to know him, make a decision about the man behind the mask.'_

(SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!)

Shizune snapped out of her inner monologue when and blinked rapidly as Anko snapped her fingers in her face.

"There we go, welcome back, we lost you for a bit" Anko said looking at the slightly dazed medic-nin.

"Sorry, I was just thinking" Shizune said slowly

"Is it Naruto or someone else?" Hana asked having come over to sit next to Anko.

"It's Naruto" the dark haired medic confessed

Anko and Hana just nodded their heads as if they expected that answer "Did something happen between you two, because he hasn't said anything about you, and no offense, if he was seriously courting you and not just flirting he would have told us" Anko said

"We weren't dating or anything" Shizune said waving her hand, she then explained to them about how she had first met Naruto the day before he came back to the village, she told them about how they met again when he came searching for Lady Tsunade. She explained that after Naruto told her about the C.R.A. he said it was up to her if she wanted to pursue a relationship or not and that since then she has been keeping her distance trying to think.

"I understand, I was unsure of my feelings for Naruto at one point, we would bump into each other around the flirt talk for a bit he would say something outrageously flirtatious and then leave" Hana smirked at the other two kunoichi "I finally had enough of his flirty one liners and demanded he take me on a proper date, that's when I got to know him. He is charming, funny and smart" Hana looked at Shizune "I know it's strange, trying to convince you to date our boyfriend…"

"Fiancée" Anko said interjected

Shizune and Hana gaped at Anko who raised a challenging eyebrow at Hana "I saw the mark on Naruto; we both know what that means"

Hana smiled "As I was saying, it may seem strange trying to get you to date _our_ fiancée, but you have to see what there is between the two of you"

Shizune looked at the Inuzuka oddly "Why are you pushing this?"

"Its instinct, I've chosen an alpha mate as a partner, now it's time to build the pack" Hana said easily.

"I like the sound of that, are you going to go around collecting kunoichis now?" Anko asked with a perverse smile.

Hana chuckled and shook her head "No, nothing like that, even surrounded by all this water and with the steam in the air, this whole time we've been talking about Naruto; Shizune has been releasing pheromones so much that it's almost saturating the air"

Shizune was crimson now as she stared in horror at Hana "Can you really smell pheromones?"

"I didn't mean to embarrass you but yes I can, it's like honeysuckle and cinnamon" Hana said described

Shizune gaped at Hana for a moment longer before she stood up "I think I'm going to go now"

"Shizune-san, I really didn't mean to embarrass you" Hana implored

"It's okay, I'm more surprised than embarrassed, you just gave me more to think about that's all; would it be okay if we spoke again later?" Shizune asked staring at Hana then Anko.

"I don't know if you're aware of this but Naruto will be out of the village for the next month or so on a mission; while he's gone Hana and I are supposed to be looking for a new home for all of us to move into" Ankos expression was as serious as she had ever been before "When Naruto gets back we're going to start building the foundation for our family, if you decide to pursue him, you have to be ready to be a part of all of us not just Naruto"

Hana nodded agreeing wholeheartedly with Anko.

Shizune looked between the two future Mrs. Namikazes, she nodded in understanding and then left to change back into her clothes and go home.

After another ten minutes to give Shizune time to herself Hana stood up, she walked to the edge of the hot spring where her towel was and wrapped it around herself "Are you busy today?"

"I've actually taken the next few days off, so we could get started on the house hunt" Anko replied.

"Good then you can join me for breakfast at the compound. You like steak and eggs?" Hana said as Anko rose up out of the water and grabbed her own towel.

"Ahh, the breakfast of champions" Anko replied.

No one really took notice of the new friendship between the Snake Mistress of Konoha and the only daughter of the Inuzuka clan head until one mid- morning about a month after Naruto had left for his mission, Anko and Hana were seen leaning on each other for support, they were both bruised and bleeding and they were both smiling. After the secret of his heritage came out, Naruto made no secret about dating Anko or Hana. What wasn't known to the populace was that Hana and Anko knew about each other, and what Naruto, Hana and Anko didn't know was that there were bets on when the two kunoichi would find out about Naruto dating them both and what would happen afterwards.

It was gossiped that somehow the two kunoichi found out about one another and fought over who would keep the Namikaze heir to themselves. When later told that the two kunoichi were laughing and supporting each other to the hospital, there was a collective shiver from any man who as ever cheated on his significant other or any many that has ever been on the receiving end of _**righteous feminine**_ _**fury**_.

Anko and Hana heard about the rumors and every time some random woman would shake her head in sympathetic misery or encourage them to castrate Naruto as soon as he stepped foot back inside they village they laughed until they cried. The truth behind the hospital visit was that after the morning in the hot spring, Anko felt the fastest way to get to know someone was through fighting them, so she asked Hana for a spar that morning after breakfast. Afterwards they sparred most mornings before going about their separate duties. It just so happened that the morning in question, they were both a little twitchy from lack of Naruto-nookie and took the sparring session a little overboard.

Once the two were seen hanging out on a regular basis, there were many raised glasses to the soon to be dead Namikaze. The gossip mill seemed to work over-time when Lady Tsunades assistant Shizune would also be seen taking meals with the Hana and Anko.

**(Back to the present with Naruto)**

"Okay folks, let's all calm down and talk about this without violence" Kakashi said as he sat on Narutos back. Naruto ceased his squirming beneath Kakashi; he was trussed up from shoulder to ankle in ninja wire. Kakashi had taken him down from behind before he could get his hands on Jiji.

Sarutobi mean while being the veteran shinobi he was and showing why he had survived as long as he has, took Tsunades moment of inattention to haul ass past the struggling Naruto and Kakashi.

"You can run all you want old man, I know where you live!" Naruto shouted after the retreating Third Hokage.

"Damn it old man we're not done here!" Tsunade said as she set her desk back on the ground

"Ooof! Jiraiya, you traitor! Put me down this instant!" was heard from the hallway

"Sorry Sensei, but I remember you throwing me to the wolves one or two times, as I recall you told me it would build character" Jiraiya said as he appeared in the doorway, he was wrapped in ninja wire much like Naruto was. Jiraiya dumped him on the floor beside Naruto who had renewed his struggles.

"Old man, you got some explaining to do" Tsunade said as she glared at him

"The Konoha Council decided that a marriage between Konoha and Suna would solidify the alliance between the two villages more solidly than a simple piece of paper" Sarutobi started to explain

"But why offer Naruto up?" Jiraiya asked from next to Tsunade

"It wasn't just Naruto" Sarutobi stood up and let the ninja wire slide down his body to pool at his feet "the stipulation of the marriage was that there could not be more than a 5 year gap in age differences and both husband and wife had to be prominent members of their respective villages." As he explained he moved to stand next to Tsunade on her left side "They didn't even have to be shinobi. We sent a list Asuma was on it same as Konohamaru, Kakashi and the young Nara heir Shikamaru. There were plenty of to choose from, they just chose Naruto"

Naruto had stood during Sarutobi's explanation and moved to sit in one of the available chairs in front of Tsunades desk. Naruto was leaning forward in his chair rubbing his temples trying to stave off the incoming headache. "It can't be official though, not even the Hokage can speak for a clan head in terms of marriage, even a political one"

"Except in this case Naruto, you were not officially recognized as a clan head until after the Treaty and betrothal were finalized" Tsunade interjected.

"So if I'm reading between the lines correctly, without the marriage, the Peace Treaty doesn't stand the Leaf and the Sand villages go to war, which I'm guessing we both want to avoid?" Naruto said more to himself than actually addressing anyone else in the room. "Temari-san, how do you feel about all this?"

Temari, surprised she was even addressed said what was on the tip of her tongue "I think it fucking sucks" she said then her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

Naruto smiled for the first time since he came into the Hokages office "Tell me how you really feel about it Temari-san"

Temari took a moment to get her mouth and mind on the same page "Being the daughter of the Kazekage, I was made aware from an early age that it was a strong possibility I would not have the luxury of marrying for love or someone of my choosing" she shrugged her shoulders "I've come to accept that, but I also love my village, marry a stranger to avoid a war between us is something I can live with"

'_Kami, how am I going to explain this to Hana and Anko?'_ Naruto thought, and then he sprang out of his chair "Oh shit!"

"What? What is it?" Tsunade asked urgently

"Hana and Anko, how the hell am I going to explain this?" Naruto asked as he paced back and forth between Tsunades desk and his chair.

"Naruto, maybe you should explain who Hana and Anko are to Temari, before you explain who Temari is to them" Kakashi suggested.

Naruto stopped pacing at the suggestion "Right" he turned to face Temari "Temari-san, Hana Inuzuka and Anko Mitarashi are my two fiancées" Naruto said straight away.

Temari's only response was to raise one delicate eyebrow.

"He has two women already, and all you do is raise an eyebrow?" Jiraiya said astonished at her seemingly easy acceptance. He turned to his godson "You lucky blonde bastard…UGH!"

That was all he got out since Tsunade found it necessary to elbow him in his unprotected stomach and dropped him to his knees.

"I told you, I was aware that I was not going to be married to a man of my choosing. I could have easily been given to some Daimyo as a concubine or mistress" Temari said simply and ignoring the Sannin gasping for air on the floor.

"No one will be put above the others in my household, you will have an equal say along with my other wives" Naruto said firmly.

Before Temari could respond to that her sensei Baki spoke up for the first time "Why is it that you have two fiancées Namikaze-san?"

"As the last member of a prominent clan Naruto is subject to the Clan Restoration Act, it's a way to insure that the clan does not become extinct" Jiraiya explained having regained his breath and was now out of reach of his better half.

"What were the conditions on the marriage?" Naruto asked as he sat back down.

"You have to marry within a year of both parties being notified, prior to the marriage you must each spend 3 months in the others village" Tsunade explained to Naruto "no one is demanding that children come anytime soon, but when you do have them, they will automatically have dual citizenship"

"Why wasn't I made aware of this sooner?" Naruto stunned asked Tsunade. Before she could answer, Naruto shifted his eyes to Sarutobi as he cleared his throat pointedly.

"I…may have forgotten to mention it to you" Hiruzen said sheepishly while Naruto face vaulted out of the chair he was sitting in.

"You forgot!" Naruto shouted

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but a lot of things happened in a very short time, some things just slipped by me, that's all" Hiruzen explained desperately.

Naruto shook his head in amazement _'He forgot?'_ his mind echoed. "Temari-san, why are you here now?" Naruto said to change the subject.

"I have to spend 3 months in the Leaf village prior to our marriage, I didn't see any reason to delay" Temari stated.

Naruto once again rubbed his temples trying to stop his head from becoming a full blown brain melt down.

"Naruto, take this" Tsunade said handing over a sheet of paper to him. He realized it was a map; he looked at Tsunade with a slight smile "Does this mean they found a house?"

"Yes it does, it turns out you already own a home in the shinobi district" Tsunade said

"I wasn't aware of any home my parents bought"

"The purchase wasn't actually finalized until after your parents were dead, according to the paper work we found, it was purchased from a retired shinobi couple who left Konoha to move to the Capital two weeks earlier" Tsunade explained

Sarutobi jumped in to take over the explanation from there "After the Kyuubi's attack, the village was in lock down for almost a month, when Tsume told me that Hana and Anko were looking for a home for the 3 of you to move into, I remembered that after the lock down was lifted, I received the deed to the home because, at the time it saddened me that you wouldn't get the chance to live there as a family like Minato wanted. So I set the deed aside and then it was only a matter of finding it again. Once I did, I turned it over to Tsunade"

"And I gave it to the girls, I know for a fact that at least Anko is living there, because it took a while for my ANBU to find her last week when I sent for her" Tsunade finished.

Naruto stood up "Is it okay if we have a mission debrief tomorrow? I would really like to check out my new home and also absorb my new situation"

"Sure, tomorrow morning 8 o'clock, _both _of on time" she said as she sent Kakashi a glare.

"Yes ma'am, Lady Hokage" Kakashi said before taking dismissing himself

"Temari-san, like you said there is no reason to delay, would you like to join me, this is going to be your home as well" Naruto offered

Temari hesitated but only briefly "Okay, that sounds fine"

As the two of them made their way to the door another Naruto faded into existence and took off down the hall ahead of them "Hey Naruto, what was the clone for?" Jiraiya asked

Naruto turned and addressed Sarutobi instead of Jiraiya "You remember earlier when I said I know where you live?" Naruto asked him

Hiruzen gave a cautious nod.

"Well I also know where you hide your book collection" Naruto said with an evil grin as Sarutobi paled and fell to his knees.

"I like the way you think" Tsunade said, she turned to Jiraiya and gestured him to come closer so that she could whisper in his ear _"If you replace even one of his Super Hentai Collection Edition, you're on the couch for the next 6 months"_

Jiraiya immediately abandoned any plans to help his sensei after Tsunades threat.

"Why do I feel so cold?" Sarutobi asked desperately as he now lay in a fetal position on the floor.

'_Uzumakis are so damn vicious'_ Jiraiya thought as he looked at his broken teacher and could only shake his head in sympathy.

**AN: Like I said not a long chapter. So folks what do you think about the Snake Sage Kabuto? And how about Karin Uzumaki huh? Did anyone see that coming? Is it me or is Kishimoto making all redheads Uzumakis. Next revelation is going to be Gaara has some Uzumaki blood in him somewhere. Drop a review on me people, let me hear from you.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: Here is another chapter for all my faithful readers and welcome to all of you newbies out there. I proudly present to you another chapter for your reading pleasure. On with the show.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other movie, manga or anime I may borrow inspiration from. Now please excuse me while I go to a dark corner and cry.**

_Splash!_ "Yoshi, you're out!" Naruto yelled to the now drenched academy student.

Yoshi, a 13 year old second year academy student was grumbling to him-self as he schlepped his way to the sidelines to join his fellow classmates who were also recipients of Narutos special brand of teaching.

Naruto was currently subbing for the taijutsu instructor who was needed on a mission. He was informed by Tsunade that being a substitute instructor was a part of his duties as a Chunin. Currently, Naruto was standing in front of his temporary class as they went through the academy katas blindfolded. Naruto's own special twist to the exercise, were the water balloons he would randomly throw at his students to gauge their awareness of their surroundings.

"Sensei?" Saia Matsu called out from the sidelines "I don't understand how water balloons and blindfolds are supposed to help us be better ninja."

"Hold!" Naruto said to the still dry students "You may remove your blindfolds." Naruto looked around to make sure he had everyone's attention. "Matsu-san, you will not always have the luxury of fighting one opponent at a time, nor will you have the luxury of seeing every attack aimed at you. The blindfolds will help you increase your awareness of your surroundings. The water balloons represent the incoming attacks that could happen anytime, day or night." Naruto paused to let his eyes roam over the crowd of students. "I want you all to understand something, and this should have been drilled into you from day one. The life of a shinobi is only glamorous when you're on the outside looking in."

"Naruto-sensei, did you have to go through this as well?" Matsu asked.

"Not only was I forced to dodge water balloons, but as I got older, I was forced to wear a blind fold during sparring sessions, and I was forced to walk around blindfolded while defending myself from my instructors who would attack me whenever the mood hit them." Naruto gave the class lopsided smile that closed one of his eyes. "And believe me; my instructors did not pull any punches when they attacked." Naruto forced down the shivers his body was giving as he briefly relived his torture under the former Hokages.

Naruto clapped his hands together to get their attention "Okay, since class his almost over, I think I'll let you go a little early." Naruto waited for the cheers to die down. "Tomorrow we will continue where we left off and we will also have a sparring session, so until then, dismissed."

Narutos class bowed in unison and turned to go home when they were suddenly bombarded with water balloons. They shrieked in surprise, and because they were all clumped together they fell over each other trying to get away and wound up in a tangled mess. They turned as one when they heard the boisterous laughter of their blonde sensei.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA…I told you an attack could come at any time." Naruto said as he doubled over in laughter.

"GET HIM!"

"See you tomorrow." Naruto said with a wave before he took off in a burst of speed. He quickly left the academy and his pissed off students in a cloud of dust as he took off to one of his daily appointments, for once he was actually early as he arrived at his favorite ramen stand. As Naruto took a seat, he thought about what he just did. _'I just pissed off 32 teenagers, whom I'm supposed to fight tomorrow.'_ Naruto thought with a frown. "Oh well, it was still funny." He thought again about the angry red faces of 32 teenagers. "Maybe I should have someone fill in for me."

"Good afternoon, Naruto-san." Teuchi said as he came from his kitchen area. "What can I get you?"

"Just tea for now Teuchi-san, I'll wait to order for a bit." Naruto replied as he picked up the menu just to have something to do.

"You got it." Teuchi said pouring him a cup of tea. "Let me know when you're ready."

As Naruto sat there enjoying his cup of tea, he relaxed marginally as some of the tension he has had over the last two weeks left his shoulders. For the last two weeks Naruto has been playing the peacemaker between his 3 fiancées. On one side Hana and Anko resented Temari because out of nowhere, she was now a part of their lives. Temari on the other side was resenting the fact that she was being blamed for something she had no control over. Naruto him-self could understand both sides. A virtual stranger has now been foisted upon their private lives, and then again Temari had no say in the situation, her only option was to make the best of it.

Naruto tried to get the girls together so they could get to know each other, but they were all on different schedules. Temari was an early riser, she liked to train early before going to a private tutoring session she was required to attend on the various laws of Konoha since she was going to be a wife of a council member. Naruto made it a point to have breakfast with Temari every morning since she came to the village to try to get to know her better. He would sit and make casual conversation over a cup of ramen while she had eggs or fruit.

Anko worked late into the night for the T.I. department so he would have a late dinner or just go to the bar and have a few drinks with her. Because of the many different animals Hana tended to, her hours ping ponged here and there. So after Naruto was done with the academy, they would always try to meet for a late lunch. That was who Naruto was waiting for at the moment.

Hoping it was Hana, Naruto turned to look behind him when he heard the curtains to the ramen stand being pushed aside. "Ah, brother in law, how are you?"

Kiba paused just inside the curtain when he caught sight of his sister's boyfriend. "Do you mind not calling me that? I still think it's weird for my sister to be dating someone the same age as me."

"It's not like she's robbing the cradle, besides you're going to have to get used to it sooner or later."

"Whatever" Kiba said fully entering the ramen stand, he was followed by his teammates, Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuuga if his memories from then Chunnin exams were accurate.

"It's nice to see you again Aburame-san, Hyuuga-san." Naruto greeted the two clan heir.

"Nice to see you as well, Namikaze-sama." Shino said with a formal bow.

"Yes, good afternoon, Namikaze-sama." Hinata said with a formal bow as well.

"No need for all the formality." Naruto said waving his and dismissively "After all, it's not like we're conducting official business, we just ran into each other at a food stand. Naruto is just fine with me."

"In that, case, please call me Shino." The quiet bug user said.

"And I'm Hinata." The shy Hyuuga said.

"Arf! Arf!"

"Don't worry Akamaru, I didn't forget about you." Naruto reached into one of the pockets on his cargo pants and pulled out a baggie of beef jerky. He pulled out a couple of pieces and tossed them to the white ninja dog.

"Welcome to Ichiraku, what can I get you?" Teuchi said as he once again appeared from his kitchen.

"A large beef please, with extra rare beef." Kiba said.

"Chicken please." Hinata said with a barely audible voice.

"Miso ramen and a pot of tea." Shino said quietly.

"How's the ninja life?" Naruto asked.

"As good as could be expected for genins, who have less than a year of real world experience." Shino said in a monotone voice.

"Don't sugar coat it Shino." Kiba said with an inpatient growl in his voice. "We've been training non-stop since the Chunin exams, but the only missions we've been doing his D-ranks, and low level C-ranks."

"Calm down Kiba-kun, I'm sure when Kurenai-sensei feels we're ready we'll go on higher ranked missions." Hinata said softly to her hot headed teammate.

"Listen to her Kiba, I'm sure Kurenai just wants to break you all in slowly. The only other alternative is to throw you into the deep end and hope for the best." Naruto told the Inuzuka.

"It feels like we're being babied. Team 7, has already been on an A-rank mission." Kiba complained.

"Actually it was a C-rank turned A-rank, Kiba." Shino said "Team 7 had no way of knowing the difficulty of mission would escalate when they accepted it."

"Whose side are you on?" Kiba snapped.

Shino calmly raised an eyebrow over his sunglasses. "I wasn't aware the discussion we were having required asides to be taken."

Kiba growled in irritation, he always the calm monotone Shino always used.

"Kiba, what are growling at now?" Hana asked as she suddenly walked through the curtains of the ramen stand.

"Hana-chan, you're late." Naruto said as he turned around in his seat.

"I'm not late; you're just on time for once Naruto-kun." Hana said with a smirk.

"Hardy-har…where are the triplets?" Naruto asked when Hana's dog companions didn't follow her through the curtain.

"They were missing the rest of the pack so I dropped them off at the compound, I'll pick them up later." Hana explained as she took a seat next to her fiancé.

"I haven't seen you around lately sis." Kiba said.

"Ahh…do you miss your big sister Kiba-kun." Hana said teasingly.

"No, just commenting on my good fortune." Kiba said with a smirk.

"Oooh, that was kind of witty Kiba, how long have you been waiting to use that one?"

"Are you calling me stupid?" Kiba snarled, standing up from his chair.

"Don't be so touchy, I'm not calling you stupid." Hana said.

Kiba sat back down after glaring at his sister for a moment.

"I'm implying that you're stupid though." Hana said.

Kiba face vaulted out of his chair, he jumped back up no doubt ready to continue trading insults with his big sister, when he was stopped by Teuchi bringing his food to the counter. Kiba chose to preserve what dignity he had left and returned to his seat and his food.

The rest of the meal passed in almost complete silence, there was the occasional sibling barbs between Hana and Kiba and some casual talk between Naruto, Shino and Hinata. Hana and Naruto were the first to leave because Hana had to go back to the Vet Hospital.

"Is it time for me to step in yet?" Naruto asked Hana.

Hana didn't pretend she didn't know what Naruto was talking about. He was referring to the way she and Anko was treating Temari. Anko and Hana both knew that Temari wasn't at fault in this situation. But they were taken completely by surprise, by Temari's sudden immersion in their lives.

"There's no need for you to step in, we'll work this out between the 3 of us." Hana assured him.

"I hope so, you know how I feel about family Hana-chan. I don't plan to be the go between for you 3." Naruto told her seriously.

"You won't have to Naruto-kun, I promise you that." Hana said as she stopped in front of their destination, which was the Inuzuka compound. Hana flared her chakra in 3 quick repetitions and seconds later, the Haimaru triplets were racing towards the gates of the compound and their human companion.

After playing around the gray wolf hounds for a minute, Naruto and Hana parted ways. Naruto watched Hana until she disappeared from view and then Naruto him-self, with a crackle of blue lightning.

Naruto reappeared in front of a large solid black iron gate, connected to a tall stone wall that disappeared into the trees that lined both sides of the entry way. Naruto pushed on the door on the right; it swung open without a sound of protest. On the other side of the gates was Naruto's very pride and joy. For the last two weeks whenever Naruto came home he always paused on this side of the gates and soaked in the view. _'This is it'_ Naruto thought _'This is going to be my home, the place my children and my children's children will be raised.' _

Naruto stood on his stone walk way and looked at his large white brick home with pride. On the inside was six bedrooms, 3 fire places, a dual staircase, a completely renovated kitchen and much more. But the thing that Naruto could never get enough of was the 80 acres that the house sat on. The entire front portion, with the exception of the stone walk way was nothing but lush green grass. At the back of the house was a sparring ring and a complete obstacle course, with enough room left over to let loose a few over charged jutsu if the mood ever hit.

As Naruto walked towards the front door, he stopped halfway up the walk way when he picked up a spike of chakra coming from the back of the property. He hightailed to the backyard where the training area was and as he got closer he let his senses out to try and gauge the situation. He picked up only one chakra signature which turned out to be Temari's.

He watched for several minutes as Temari went through her imaginary battle. She moved with fluid precision, as she weaved in and out of the attacks of her make-believe enemies. Her chest heaved up and down; sweat poured of her brow and matted her hair to her forehead as she switched between using her battle as a melee weapon and a medium for her wind jutsu. Finally, she jumped away and with one mighty swing._** "**_**Kamaitachi Jutsu!" **she dug a 40 ft. trench into the land.

'_What a beautiful sight.'_ Naruto thought as he looked at the sweating and dirt stained kunoichi standing tall in the fading sunlight as she surveyed what her hard work had wrought.

Temari suddenly spun around possibly sensing that she was no longer alone. She held her fan in front of her defensively and only relaxed marginally when she saw it was Naruto. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you; I was just admiring your technique."

"That's okay, it's not like you won't eventually know my every secret." Temari said with a neutral expression on her face.

"How was the tutoring session today?" Naruto asked as he approached.

"Still boring, although Iruka-san, tells me, I've almost completed the course." She said with a huff.

Naruto nodded. "Are you hungry? I could throw something together for you?"

Temari raised a sardonic eyebrow and remained silent.

Naruto raised his hands in surrender "I promise it won't be ramen. Why don't hit the showers and I get it started." He said and gestured to the house.

Temari tilted her head in agreement but remained silent and walked silently next to Naruto as they went inside. They walked through the sliding doors the led to an office/den. There was a large sofa that took up most of the floor space; it sat facing a large oak desk set against the far wall. The bookshelves that lined the walls were basically empty, except for a few texts on basic shinobi skills and literature.

Naruto broke off to his left towards the kitchen and Temari went straight ahead through the archway connecting the living room. She disappeared around the corner and up the stairs. In the kitchen Naruto summoned a clone to help him prepare the meal. He went to the fridge and took out a heaping of vegetables and a couple of steaks.

Temari reappeared 30 minutes later; her hair was pulled back into a single bushy ponytail, still slightly damp from her shower. She was wearing gray sweatpants and an over-sized black T-shirt. "I'm surprised, I really thought the only thing you could do in the kitchen was boil water for ramen." Temari was pleasantly surprised to see, strips of steak presented on top of a large bowl of stir fry vegetables.

"I'm far from being a gourmet, but I can get by if I want to. It just so happens I wanted to." Naruto said with a smile. They sat across from each other at the stone island in the center of the large kitchen.

When Temari took her first bite of she immediately close her eyes in and a moan of pure bliss escaped her lips. She joyed slowly enjoying the perfect blend of seasonings on the meat and vegetables.

"Is that good?"

Temari opened her eyes to see that Naruto had pulled his mask down and a lopsided grin on his face. Her face heated up as she took in his features. She still wasn't used to being around him without his mask on. Those fierce cerulean blue eyes made her stomach quiver whenever he focused them on her and the whisker marks on his cheeks added a feral quality that only made it worse. Temari ignored her stinging cheeks and answered the question. "It's hard to believe you don't consider yourself a gourmet, this is great."

"Thank you, put truthfully it only comes out like this when I put in the effort." Naruto said as he dug into his own meal.

"And I'm worth the effort?" Temari asked softly.

"Of course…all of you are." Naruto replied honestly.

Temari grunted softly, refusing to go into the subject of Naruto's of the betrotheds. The silence stretched as they went about eating their meals.

Naruto was dishing himself a second helping when he started the conversation again. "Have you heard from anyone from your village recently?"

"Kankuro and Baki-sensei sent me letters." She paused and then said softly "I sent Gaara a letter but he hasn't responded yet."

Naruto reached across and squeezed her hand briefly before letting it go. "Don't give up on him, that's the worse you can do for someone like Gaara. Keep hammering at the wall he built around himself and eventually you'll make a hole big enough for you to fit through."

"Thanks" she said with melancholic smile. "I didn't even meet Gaara until he was 8 years old. I knew of him, everyone in the village did, but I didn't know he was my brother until we actually met. My _father_" she spat out the title as if it were poison "had Gaara raised by our uncle on the other side of the village. Then one day Kankuro and I were called to the Kazekage's office and introduced to an angry and very scary red head and we were told this is our little brother."

Temari stopped her story trying to get her emotions under control, she could tell by the blurred vision as she looked down into her unfinished meal that whether or not she finished the story or not she was going to shed a few tears tonight. "For as long as I could remember, Gaara; was made out to be the boogey-man of the Hidden Sand Village. I remember hearing parents use him as a threat to get their kids to eat their vegetables and to place nice or Gaara the Sand Demon was going to get them. I wish I had those first few years after we first met back now. Back then, I was completely terrified of him. Every time he moved I would flinch, not once in all the missions we went on together did I ever allow him at my back." Temari's had finally broken down and the tears were flowing freely down her face now. "I didn't know how to treat the boogey-man as a person and I didn't know how to treat a stranger as a brother." She cried out miserably.

As Temari cried in earnest she felt herself being enveloped in strong arms and warmth. She didn't know how long she cried for, she was just grateful that Naruto allowed her to do so without comment. She finally pulled back and wiped her eyes and gasped as she looked into not he blue eyes of Naruto, but the brown eyes of Hana.

Hana didn't say anything, just silently offered Temari dish towel to clean her face.

Temari accepted the towel; she turned in her seat to look over at Naruto and was shocked for a second time as she saw Anko sitting next to him at the island. Anko sat their expressionless but Naruto had a sad smile on his face. "I was going to hold you, but Hana-chan beat me to it. Let me say one thing to you Temari-chan and then we can put this subject to rest for now. I've been where Gaara was. I was the receptacle for this village's collective fear and hate. And at some point, I was filled with nothing but anger at the unfairness of my life. But I was given a second chance, with people who not only told me but showed me that they cared." Naruto's sad smile shifted into to a stern one. "You and Gaara both now have a second chance on what you missed out on as children. Don't waste it with regret and don't let him to waste it either. If you have to write him a letter every day of every week until you get a response then do just that. Hammer it into his skull that somebody out there cares about him."

Temari gave Naruto a watery smile before she stood up. "I'm going to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up."

"While you're up there get out of those rags." Anko said gesturing to Temari's outfit. "You need a couple of drinks in you and I know a place we can go where we won't be bothered."

Temari hesitated for a moment but then she nodded her head and left the kitchen.

"So what are you two doing home so early?" Naruto asked as he dished up a couple of bowls for the two of them.

"I wanted to call it an early day, so I had someone fill in for me." Hana said as she accepted her bowl.

"Ibiki didn't have any new play dates for me so I got the hell out of their as fast as I could. No way was I going to be stuck there doing boring paperwork." Anko said between bites.

"Anybody want to tell me why, all of a sudden you want to get to know Temari?" Naruto asked, if he sounded suspicious it was unintentional, he trusted Anko and Hana, but this was a quick turn-around from his earlier conversation with Hana.

"You wouldn't understand, it's a girl thing." Anko said with a shrug.

Naruto knew enough women to understand that to mean "We don't have to explain ourselves to you, you're a man." So he left it alone. They ate in silence until Temari came back down to the kitchen fresh faced, in a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her hips just right. She was also wearing a tan short sleeve shirt decorated with little battle fans. The shirt stopped at her waist line and showed off her toned arms.

"Well…well…well." Anko said with a smirk. "Beneath that battle kimono, the desert flower as a hot little body."

Temari blushed partially because she was not used to casual dress and because she was certainly not used to being scrutinized by a female unless they were on other sides of the battle field. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Don't wait up Naruto-kun." Hana said has the trio made their way out of the kitchen.

"So I guess I'll take care of the dirty dishes then?" Naruto yelled after them.

"And if you could take care of the boys for me that would be great." Hana called back.

The boys meaning the Haimaru triplets took that as their cue to start scratching at the back door. Naruto went to the door and let them in; they immediately scrabbled into the kitchen and began sniffing around the island where everyone had eaten looking for scraps. When they didn't find any they looked in Naruto's direction and showed their mastery of the **Puppy Eye Jutsu,** complete with whimpering and whining. "If Hana-chan ever finds out how much I spoil you 3 then we're all going to be in a pile of trouble, so let's keep this between us guys alright?"

When Naruto got 3 nods in reply he went to the fridge and took out another package of steaks wrapped in white paper. He opened it up and then stood back as the 3 gray animals tore into the fresh meat. While the dogs were bust eating Naruto summoned a shadow clone to clean the kitchen while he himself went to take a shower. He came back down 20 minutes later in a pair of shorts and a wife beater. He saw the triplets splayed out on the floor near and could only shake his head. "I guess its guys night in." Naruto walked into the den and was followed by the triplets; he retrieved a well- worn book from the top drawer of the desk and then stretched on the sofa. He opened the book up do a dog eared page and after reading the first couple of sentences he let out a perverted giggle that had Haimaru triplets cocking their heads in his direction. "Oh Kiki, you naughty…naughty minx." Naruto said before giggling again.

The Haimaru triplets shared a look between which translated to "Masters Mate may be strong, but he is so weird sometimes."

**AN: Is there anyone out there besides me who thinks that Kishimoto is playing with our heads for the fun of it? I ask this because, for the longest time Kishimoto has painted Kabuto to look like a complete sociopath, but if you've read the manga lately then you know that Kabuto's background is currently being looked at. And it turns out he wasn't always a psychopath. It was a combination of Danzo and Orochimaru that turned him into the person we all know and love. My question is do you feel differently about Kabuto now that it was revealed that had it not been for Danzo and Orochimaru, Kabuto most likely would have been grown to be a semi-normal adult?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: Greetings and salutations my loyal followers. By popular demand I have resolved to continue to post on this site for the foreseeable future. But rest assured I have copied all of my previous chapters just In case I do get the boot and I have to find a new home. I apologize for the long wait, but issues in my private life have not put me in a frame of mind to sit at my keyboard and spin a yarn for you all. But enough of that, I have for you today another chapter for your reading pleasure. Now here we go!**

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Training ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death was a nightmare for most ninja of any rank. There were many mysteries surrounding the forbidden training ground, rumors amongst the civilians were that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, created it to house all 9 Bijuu when he caught and tamed them. Rumors among the shinobi were that, Training Ground 44 used to be the old academy test back when the village was first constructed.

Whatever the rumors, the fact of the matter is that for the last hour the usual inhabitants that call the Forest of Death home, have been scurrying to their dens, cowering in their caves or have taken flight high above in the canopy of the ancient trees of the forest, because of the two high class shinobi who have turned the Forest of Death into their own personal battle ground.

"**Earth style: Swamp of the Underworld!"** Jiraiya's voice echoed through the forest as he slammed his hands down into the earth in front of him. Jiraiya new an obvious move like that wouldn't ensnare his opponent he was just using it to get some space between the two of them and perhaps by sometime for his next move.

As expected, his opponent did a series of handsprings away from the quickly spreading mud swamp and finally landing on the base of a tree trunk where he went through a quick succession of hand seals, **"Fire style: Great Fireball jutsu!"** Naruto inhaled deeply filling his chest with chakra converted flames and then expelled it in a continuous red-hot stream of fire aimed at the ever growing swamp made by the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya released his swamp jutsu in shocked amazement as he watched it be turned into a field of clay. Jiraiya's shock didn't last long as he saw Naruto go through more hand seals, not wanting to take the chance of getting hit with any jutsu his god son was about to send his way, the white haired Sannin took off into the foliage of the surrounding trees before Naruto could finish his seals.

"**Water style: Pressure Canon!"**

As Jiraiya ran through the forest, he took a quick glance behind him to see the damage he just escaped from when his eyes widened. Cutting into tree trunks and solid rock like a hot knife through butter was a stream of water about an inch thick. The Toad Sage poured on the speed to avoid being cut in half. Jiraiya made a sharp right turn in the direction he estimated Naruto to be, he threw a handful of shuriken ahead of him, disrupting Naruto's jutsu before bursting of out the foliage and attacking Naruto with a drop kick to the chest. _'Gotcha brat!'_ Jiraiya thought with a smirk as he took great satisfaction in the shocked look in the blonde haired ninja's eyes.

As Jiraiya landed on his feet his smirk was replaced with a look of shock of his own, when the Naruto he kicked burst smoke and was replaced with shattered wood pieces. The Sannin's danger sense kicked in and he jumped away just in time to avoid a heel drop from Naruto that left a crater in the ground.

Naruto didn't want to give Jiraiya even a second to think, so he sprang forward and threw a right hook that would have taken off Jiraiya's head if he hadn't leaned back to avoid it. Jiraiya may not have been known for his taijutsu but he wasn't a slouch, he came right back at Naruto with a jumping knee strike that the blonde had to quickly side-step. At the same time both men connected front kicks to each-others chest that sent them sprawling to the ground in opposite directions. Jiraiya went with the momentum of Naruto's kick and rolled ass over tea kettle until he was back on his feet, fist raised ready for Naruto's next onslaught.

Naruto kipped back to his feet into a ready stance; he was sweating and panting but not too heavily as he eyed Jiraiya up and down looking for a weakness. "You know, you're pretty spry for an old man." Naruto said with a smirk as he started to circle Jiraiya.

Jiraiya chuckled lightly with a smirk of his own. "You're going to wish you looked as good as I do when you're my age."

"You forget I'm an Uzumaki, by the time I'm 50 I'll still look 25." Naruto said with a full blown smile as he and Jiraiya continued to circle and inch towards each-other.

"No one likes a smart-ass you brat." Jiraiya and sprang forward with a straight right punch.

Naruto side-stepped the punch and rolled along Jiraiya's arm and countered with an elbow strike aimed at Jiraiya's back, but the more experienced ninja dropped to his hands a delivered a double mule kick to Naruto's stomach sending him skidding along the ground.

Jiraiya ran forward to press his advantage but was tripped up by a hand coming from beneath the ground, causing him to fall to one knee. The one second it took for Jiraiya to dispel the clone was all Naruto needed to press his advantage; he was already back on his feet and back on the attack. He stunned the white haired ninja with a low kick to the inside of his right knee and followed it with a spinning back hand that sent the older ninja on his own ride into the dirt.

The Toad Sage recovered quickly and the two clashed together in a symphony of meaty thunks and whacks as they traded hit after hit. Pained grunts echoed throughout the clearing as Jiraiya and Naruto continued to decimate the landscape in their intense sparring session.

The two ninja sprang apart, panting and bloody but with smiles on their faces.

The smiling Jiraiya swiped a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth and spread it on his palm.

Naruto raised a surprised eyebrow as he crossed his arms in an X over his chest. "You're going to summon one of the toads? I thought this was supposed to be a spar?" Naruto said in amusement.

"I guess I'm having too much fun. It has been so long since I didn't know the outcome of a battle that the old warrior blood is starting to heat up." Jiraiya said as he started going through the seals for a summoning jutsu.

Naruto's entire body tensed as he prepared himself to go to the next level.

"**Summoning J…" "Gravity Seal: Rele…"**

Both ninja paused as they felt a chakra signature fast approaching their location.

"I guess that's the end of round one, Old Man." Naruto said as he dropped his arms to his side.

"Whoever that is just saved you a world of hurt, Blondie." Jiraiya said as he stood up from his crouching position.

While waiting for their guest to arrive, Naruto took the opportunity to look around at his and Jiraiya's handiwork. He whistled softly to himself as he took in the upturned trees, craters and trenches that were wrought from their battle. Naruto had to shake his head at all the destruction, _'And we weren't even going all out.'_ Naruto thought to himself.

The chakra signature was still a little ways off so Naruto joined Jiraiya at the edge of a nearby river to rinse the blood and grime from his face to look half way presentable.

Both men were silent while they rinsed away the filth until Naruto asked. "Are you going to tell me why it was so important that we had to do this? You show up at my door out of nowhere, you drag me all the way out here just to ask for a spar. Is something on your mind?"

Jiraiya was silent for a moment before turning to Naruto with a serious expression on his face. "We never really talked about how much I screwed up by not being there for you when you were younger." The Sannin started to say before he was interrupted.

"I thought we were passed this? I know why you couldn't take me with you and I know why you couldn't stay." Naruto said with a slightly bewildered look on his face.

Jiraiya nodded his head and turned back to stare at the ripples in the river. "I failed you Naruto. Those first six years of your life should have never been as hard as they were. Not only did I fail you, but I also failed Minato, Kushina and myself. It has been damn hard looking at myself in the mirror and still calling myself a man."

"I don't know what you want me to tell you." Naruto said as he stood up and stretched out the kinks in his back. "I don't have any hard feelings toward you for the choices you made. I came out stronger in the end because of them. It's true my previous years in the village weren't the childhood bliss some kids might have had, but I was never one to think that the grass was greener on the other side, so stop beating yourself up about it."

Jiraiya stood up to his full height and looked his godson in the eyes. "Even if you say that, I've been carrying this shame and guilt for a long time and I can't carry it into the next phase of my life."

"The next phase of your life?" Naruto shook his head in exasperation at Jiraiya's refusal to let the subject drop. "You're not going to let this go are you?"

"Nope, I intend to make up for my past mistakes whether you like it or not. Now put on your game face our guest is about to arrive." Jiraiya said before focusing on a point over Naruto's shoulder.

It was seconds after Naruto turned around that an ANBU clad ninja appeared in front of them.

"How can we help you ANBU-san?" Jiraiya asked.

It was the Cat ANBU agent that Naruto had met a while back.

"I was sent by Lady Tsunade to inform you Jiraiya-sama that if you're late to the meeting that you requested that she would personally rearrange your internal organs by way of her fist down your throat." The ANBU informed Jiraiya in a monotone.

The Cat ANBU then turned to Naruto. "Lady Tsunade said that your presence is also required Namikaze-sama." She said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto turned a confused look towards Jiraiya. "What does she need me there for, is it a full council meeting?"

"It's not a council meeting at all just persons of interest, and it was me that requested you to be there, I have some plans for the future that involve you. Just be in the Hokage's office in an hour." Jiraiya said before he also disappeared.

Naruto could only sigh at Jiraiya's cryptic response before he left in a flash of lightning and reappeared at the edge of the Forest of Death. Being that he only had an hour to get to the meeting Naruto hauled ass to his home.

Arriving at his compound, Naruto went straight to his bedroom and the shower. The steaming hot water had only been washing away Naruto's early morning sparring session for a few minutes, when he heard his bathroom door opening. He turned towards the disturbance and a smile bloomed on his face when he saw Anko standing in the open doorway. Her purple hair was free flowing and she was wearing a thigh length black silk robe.

"To what do I owe this early morning treat, Anko-chan?" Naruto asked as he slid the shower stall door open.

"Don't get any ideas; Ibiki is out of town so I have to be in early to cover for him. This is just to conserve water." Anko said has she dropped her robe exposing her well-toned and well curved body before stepping into the stall with Naruto.

Naruto was never one to let opportunity get away from him so as soon as Anko was stepped under the spray of hot water he grabbed up the soap, got a good lather going on a wash cloth and started to wash her back.

"Didn't I tell you not to get any ideas?" Anko said but didn't physically discourage the action one bit.

"I'm not getting any ideas; I'm just trying to save you some time by washing your back." He said innocently, while moving the cloth from her shoulders and slowly making his way down her back to her firm buttocks.

"Naruto" Anko said in a warning tone.

"Okay, okay." He said and stopped massaging the globes of her ass.

"Damn it Naruto!" Anko yelped, because the blonde shinobi pulled her back flush against his chest and the set to washing her breasts while intermittently pinching her nipples through the wash cloth.

"What? I figured since I already did your back I might as well do the front."

With a frustrated growl Anko whipped around and grabbed a hand full of hair in each and pulled Naruto down to her level and devoured his lips.

The two kissed franticly, while trying to maintain balance on the slippery surface of the shower stall floor. Naruto had one hand curled into the purple locks of his fiancée while the other was cupping her ass pressing her closer to his erection trapped between their bodies.

It was Anko who broke away first to trail kisses down Naruto's neck, she stopped at Naruto's chest where she briefly admired the tattoo he came home with from his last mission. It was no bigger than Hana's mating bite and it was simple in design, but in its simplicity it said much.

It was a simple purple snake, drawn to look like the infinity symbol and it was next to Hana's mating bite right over Naruto's heart. According to Naruto it represented the love he had for her that would last forever.

She tenderly kissed that tattoo just as she had done when he first showed her. Anko looked up into the warm blue eyes of the man that she would no doubt spend eternity with and once again closed the gap between their lips. This time the kiss was soft, slow and meant to be seductive and heartfelt.

'_So what if I'm late, it will be well worth it.' _Anko thought with a smile.

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Naruto practically skipped into the meeting a half hour late, he was smiling so hard beneath his mask that his face was starting to hurt. In attendance was Sarutobi who was seated in front of Tsunades desk. A tiger masked ANBU agent who was standing to the left of the seated Tsunade. The Jonin Commander Shikaku Nara, he was slouching in a chair next to Sarutobi. Jiraiya, he was standing to the right of the seated Tsunade. Naruto took the open seat next to Shikaku and gave Tsunade his full attention.

"Thank you for deigning us with your presence Naruto." Tsunade said sarcastically. "I believe you know everyone here with the exception of Tenzo." She said gesturing towards the masked shinobi standing at attention in front of her desk.

"I apologize for my tardiness, but I had a personal issue that demanded my attention." He said diplomatically.

"Whatever," she said dismissively "Jiraiya wanted this meeting so I'll let him take over from here."

"I'll cut straight to the reason I've called you all here. There is a threat to not only Konoha but to every village in the Elemental Nations and it's called Akatsuki." Jiraiya said straight out.

Even Shikaku sat up in his chair at Jiraiya's dire tone.

Jiraiya went on to explain Akatsuki's goal of targeting jinchurikki and taking out their bijuus for an unknown purpose. "Orochimaru was once a part of this organization. The only members I'm currently aware of are Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, Deidara the Mad Bomber from the Hidden Rock village."

"How many members are there and where are they based?" Shikaku asked.

"Everyone I've spoken to about them is extremely tight lipped. It took a considerable amount of time to get the names of just those three. As for where they are based, honestly, they're everywhere." Jiraiya said with a sigh.

"You didn't call us here just for a heads up, what's the plan?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya nodded his head in agreement.

"Jiraiya has already given me the outline of his plan, here's what is going to happen." Tsunade turned to the silent ANBU ninja to her left. "Tenzo, as ANBU Commander, I want you to spread it through your ranks about the Akatsuki threat. Tell them anyone wearing a black cloak with red clouds is to be treated with extreme caution. Their first priority when dealing with the Akatsuki is gathering information and only engaging when absolutely necessary, is that understood?"

Tenzo gave a deep bow at the waist. "Every word, Lady Tsunade."

"Good, dismissed."

Tenzo straightened up like a pole had been shoved down his back and disappeared on the spot.

Tsunade then turned to Shikaku who was still giving the Hokage his undivided attention. "Shikaku, as the Jonin Commander I want you to pass the word down the ranks, no one below ANBU status is to engage the Akatsuki threat. Also, once we do have more information about the Akatsuki members and their abilities, I'll want to pick your brain on possible tactics to neutralize them."

"I understand Lady Hokage." Although Shikaku was wide awake, he was still speaking as if he was half a sleep.

"Dismissed" she said.

Shikaku stood from his chair as if it took a great effort and hassle and then shuffled out the door without another word.

Tsunade then turned to Naruto who had been sitting quietly while she gave out orders.

"I hope you're not about to tell me that you're going to keep me inside the village for my own safety now that you know about the Akatsuki?" Naruto said in a mild tone.

Tsunade scoffed, "Not likely, but what I am going to do is send you on a few goodwill missions."

"Goodwill missions?" he asked confused.

"Not immediately but within the coming months, I will be sending you to the Hidden Suna, Kumo, Taki and Mist."

Naruto nodded his head, already suspecting why he was going to such places. "All of the hidden villages that are known to have Jinchurikkis."

"That's right, you and Sarutobi-sensei." Jiraiya put in.

Naruto turned to the former Hokage with a look of surprise in his eyes. "They put you up to babysitting me Jiji?"

Sarutobi chuckled lightly as he stuck his favorite pipe between his teeth and held it there. "Nothing like that Naruto-kun, Jiraiya was actually going to accompany you, but I pointed out that I was the better diplomat and even a former Kage trumps a Sannin in the political arena, where talks are going to take place."

"So when do we leave?" Naruto asked.

"That remains to be seen." Tsunade answered, "We sent out letters asking for a meeting to discuss things but have yet to receive a reply from anyone, even Suna has sent word yet. When we do get a response your diplomatic mission will trump all others is that clear?"

"I understand Lady Hokage." Naruto said with a small nod of his head.

"Good, now that business is out of the way, tonight at midnight I want you to meet me at the top of the Hokage Monument, it's very important that you be there on-time." Jiraiya told Naruto.

"You've been acting strange all morning. You better have some answers for me tonight or I'm going to seriously see about having you committed for evaluation." Naruto said as he eyed his god father.

"You disrespectful brat, just get out of here and don't forget about tonight." Jiraiya said.

"Fine, I'll see you tonight." Naruto said and left with a wave to both Tsunade and Sarutobi.

With no missions on the horizon and with his duty at the academy over with for now, Naruto didn't have any particular place to be at the moment, so he let his feet make the decision as to where he would go.

An hour later depending on your point of view it was either a good or bad thing that he wound up in the training field of Team 9.

He stirred from his absentminded walking in time to see Ten-ten unleash just about every weapon known to man from a scroll at a fast spinning Neji Hyuuga while Guy and Lee where some distance away sparring.

Naruto's presence wasn't known until an exuberant shout was echoed through the training ground.

"YOSH! MY ETERNAL RIVAL IS FINALLY HERE TO CHALLENGE ME IN YOUTHFUL COMBAT!"

In the next instant Lee was standing 5 feet away from Naruto in his taijutsu stance ready to battle.

Naruto held is hands up in surrender. "Actually Lee, I was just out for a walk and my feet brought me here."

"You mean you didn't come here with the intention to challenge me to youthful combat?" Lee asked with a disappointed look on his face.

"No I didn't, sorry Lee."

Lee went from disappointed to ecstatic in an instant. "If you will not challenge me, then I challenge you! **Dynamic Entry!**" He shouted and launched himself in a flying kick at Naruto's head.

Naruto rolled beneath the attack and set himself in his own stance. It was a good thing he did because Lee didn't waist a moment, as soon as his feet touched the ground he propelled himself backwards into another attack.

"**Severe Leaf Hurricane!"**

Naruto ducked the powerful spinning back kick and launched his counter-attack, a jumping knee strike that whistled pass Lee's ear when he dodged to the side. Naruto spun around quickly and continued his assault, he aimed a low kick to the inside of Lee's right knee the staggered the genin and then followed it with a side kick to the chest that sent the green clad ninja sliding along the ground.

Lee momentarily dazed quickly found his footing and popped to his feet with shining eyes and a beaming smile. "QUITE EXCELLENT MOVES, I WOULD EXPECT NOTHING LESS FROM MY RIVAL!" Lee shot forward faster than before, but not fast enough that Naruto lost sight of him, he jumped and feinted with another spinning back kick but actually shot out an over hand right that would have broken the blondes nose if he didn't put his guard up, but with the power behind the blow it sent Naruto sliding back several feet.

"I knew you were a student of hard work just like I am Lee, let's really cut loose." Naruto said with a smile.

Lee was so excited at the prospect, for the first time he didn't look to Guy-sensei for permission to take his weights off, he simply bent down and unclasped the heavy burdens from his ankles. When he stood up he bounced in place lightly before sharing a grin with Naruto as they both vanished in an awesome display of speed.

The sounds of high speed winds as blows were dodged and meaty thunks as contact was made were heard through the training ground.

While Naruto and Lee where trading blows off to the side and out of the danger area the rest of Team 9 were standing by watching the spectacle.

"I still can't follow high speed movement even after all this time." Ten-ten complained as she lost sight of the two combatants.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I'm with you Ten-ten and because neither one is using chakra I can't even tracked their movements that way." Neji said with a frown.

Ten-ten turned to Neji with surprise written all over her face. "Naruto isn't using chakra to augment his speed?"

"No my adorable student, just like Lee that's just plain hard achieved speed." Guy said with a serious expression on his face.

"Guy-sensei, do you know what kind of style Naruto is using?"

"Yes, from his stance and the attacks I've seen I can safely conclude that he is using the 'Art of Nine Weapons' style." Guy said, "The name refers to the practitioner using the hands, elbows, legs, knees and head butts to attack. It's a very old style and very dangerous."

"How effective is this style?" Neji asked as he continued to follow the sounds of combat.

"It's a versatile combat style, as you can see here; it can be used for single combat or for a multitude of enemies. The style requires speed, agility and flexibility and like any style of taijutsu, if master it can cripple or kill in a single blow, but as Naruto is no doubt holding back for Lee's sake I can't tell you how proficient he is at using it." The Taijutsu master answered.

Back with the two combatants, they finally stopped their high speed battle and sprang apart, they landed on opposite sides of the training field bruised and panting but still smiling.

"This is a most wonderful challenge my rival, I look forward to many more in the future but I'm afraid I must end it here, to go any further for me would mean using the 8 gates, so you may have this victory." Lee said with a deep bow from the waist.

Naruto returned the bow just as deeply, "Lee, anytime you want to spar, you need only to ask." He said sincerely.

"WHAT YOUTHFUL SHOWMANSHIP FROM BOTH OF YOU, WELL DONE!" Guy screamed from the side lines.

"Our record now stands at 1 loss for me and 1 win for my youthful rival." Lee said as he and Naruto joined the rest of Team 9.

"So Lee, what kind of punishment have you set up for yourself as a loss." Ten-ten asked with a smirk.

Lee looked at her horrified before he burst into tears. "GUY-SENSEI, I FAILED TO SET A PUNISHMENT FOR MYSELF IF I WERE DEFEATED; I'VE FAILED YOU AS A STUDENT!"

Guy looked just as horrified as Lee before he also broke down in tears.

Naruto, Ten-ten and Neji sweat dropped at the duos display.

Lee suddenly looked up with fire in his eyes. "As punishment for forgetting to set a punishment I shall walk around Konoha 500 times on my thumbs!" he declared before racing out of the training grounds.

"WAIT LEE I'LL JOIN YOU AS PUNISHMENT FOR NOT REMINDING YOU TO SET A PUNISHMENT!" Guy shouted as he ran after his student.

"Why did he have to get so weird at the end?" Naruto asked himself aloud.

"That's just Lee." Ten-ten said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well it appears training is done for the day, I'm heading home. I'll see you tomorrow Ten-ten, Good bye Namikaze-sama."

"Naruto is fine with me Hyuuga-san, no need for honorifics." Naruto said with a sigh, he hated repeating himself and he's had to say that too many times to count.

Neji gave Naruto a small nod of his head and walked away without another word.

Naruto turned back to Ten-ten with a sheepish look in his eyes. "I seemed to have ruined your training for the day, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about, I had a feeling it was going to be one of those days anyway." Ten-ten said.

"How about I make it up to you with an early lunch or a late breakfast?"

"Um…there are rumors going around that you're living with three women is that true?" Ten-ten asked suddenly.

Naruto didn't hesitate to answer, "They're my fiancées; one was an arranged marriage, but I and my other two fiancées chose each other. I'm only asking you out to a meal not proposing; besides I wouldn't even dream of trying to start another relationship without the okay from my ladies."

Ten-ten reddened in embarrassment at the implication. "I didn't say anything about you proposing or starting a relationship." Ten-ten said quickly. "I just don't want you getting any ideas."

"I promise to be a gentleman, now breakfast or lunch?" Naruto said as he ushered the still red faced kunoichi away from the training ground.

"Since I've already had breakfast, I suppose lunch will do."

"Ladies choice, any place in particular you would like to go?" Naruto asked as they hit the path leading away from the training areas.

"Do you like sushi?"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, "I could eat sushi."

"Good I know a great place."

Naruto and Ten-ten spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon together. It was a very casual hanging out. They walked and talked most of the time, not about anything serious just basically getting to know each other. Ten-ten talked about her time at the academy while Naruto talked about his time as a bounty hunter. Before they knew it, it was time for Ten-ten to report to her father's shop for her shift. They said goodbye and went their separate ways.

****

After parting ways with Ten-ten, Naruto was again left with nothing to do until his midnight meeting with Jiraiya. So he wandered the village a while longer until going home, he made dinner for Temari and Hana before going to bed early to be well rested for later that night.

Now close to the appointed time of his meeting, Naruto was roof hopping towards the Hokage Monument, fully decked out in his combat gear prepared just in-case he and Jiraiya were being sent out on another mission.

Naruto saw in the distance a figure leaning against the railing at the top of the memorial and recognizing Jiraiya's long white hair flowing in the breeze he quickly scale the mountain and appeared in a crouched position on top of the rail next to his god father.

When Jiraiya turned to fully face him, Naruto was quite shocked to see Jiraiya dressed so formally. For the first time since meeting him, Jiraiya was without his customized head band. He was wearing a full length dark gray kimono with a white shirt beneath it and a white obi around his waist.

"Whoa, what are you all dolled up for?" Naruto asked when he got off the rail and stood facing the Sannin.

"I couldn't wear my combat gear to my own wedding could I?" Jiraiya asked sarcastically.

Naruto was too surprised to speak for a moment but he quickly got over it. "You invited me here for your wedding, why the hell didn't you say something do I look like I'm dressed for a wedding?" Naruto said belligerently.

"I invited you here to be a witness and my best man." Jiraiya bent down to pick up a package wrapped in brown paper and thrust it into Naruto's arms. "Here, you can change into this."

"This is the reason you've been acting strange all day? This is the next phase of your life you were talking about?" Naruto asked.

"I meant what I said about making up for my past mistakes, I just haven't figured out how yet. Now go get changed Tsu-hime's going to be here any second." Jiraiya said.

"Where am I supposed to get dressed?"

"Don't be such a baby; find a dark corner and get to it."

Naruto grumbled good naturally as he did as instructed. He was still grumbling 5 minutes later when he came back in a kimono that matched Jiraiya's. As Naruto came to stand next to Jiraiya he heard voices drifting up from the stairs that lead to the top of the monument. He felt Jiraiya tensing next to him and concluded that it could only be Tsunade.

The first to appear from the staircase was Hiruzen Sarutobi once again dressed in full Hokage regalia, hat included. Even shadowed by the big brim of his hat it was impossible to miss the beaming smile on his face.

Following behind the former Hokage was Shizune, dressed in a dark green kimono that shimmered in the moonlight and a matching obi. Naruto chuckled softly to himself when he noticed the moist sheen in Shizune's eyes, it looked like she was about to cry or already had.

The last to appear over the rise was Tsunade, she was wearing an all-white kimono and matching obi and her hair wasn't in its usual twin pony tail but freely flowing across her shoulders and down her back.

No greetings were exchanged Jiraiya simply held out a hand and Tsunade placed her within it without hesitating. The two stared into each-other's eyes silently until Sarutobi pointedly cleared his throat. Sarutobi had positioned himself with his back facing the village; Naruto stood slightly behind Jiraiya's left shoulder next to Shizune on Tsunade's right. He gave Shizune a quick glance and sure enough the tears were free flowing now.

"I cannot tell you both how happy I am that you asked me to officiate this wedding. Before we begin I would like to say I am grateful that kami has allowed me to live this long to witness this event." Sarutobi said as he wiped away a stray tear. "Now let us begin, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness this man and this woman be joined in holy matrimony…"

As the ceremony continued there were two things Naruto didn't notice. One of them was his own silent tears that fell from his eyes and the other was him reaching over to clasp Shizune's hand tightly in his own.

****

**AN: That's it for now folks. If you've read my story before you know that I usually go into a small rant about the latest chapter of Naruto, but since I haven't updated for a while, I'm just going to hit the vital points of what stood to me.**

**Firstly, does Kishimoto think we're stupid or what? He is trying to get us to believe that Kabuto and his foster brother Urushi are both medic-nin, but not once in all these years have they ever come across one another. Really? There isn't but one hospital in the whole town but these two people not once crossed paths.**

**Secondly, Itachi Uchiha, he has to be the most complicated character in the whole story, is it me or does the guy deserve is own Manga? And as a side note, was anybody else freaked out when Shusui yanked out his own eye?**

**Lastly the latest testament to Kishimoto's love of Madara Uchiha, did he really just bring himself back to life? If I'm understanding this correctly; he now has unlimited chakra, a body impervious to permanent harm and all the skills he had when he died. Not only that but apparently the only person in the whole Naruto verse that could go toe to toe with him is permanently sealed away in the Shinigami's stomach. **

**Now who do you think Kishimoto is going to give a power boost to in order to deal with Madara? Will it be his favorite blonde or his favorite emo?**

**The rant is over. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**


	15. Chapter 15

**Flee on Sight**

**AN: Hello to all my faithful readers. I know it has been a while but I have been completely flabbergasted by the recent manga updates that I've had to take a step back from everything Naruto related in order to get my mind around a couple of things that Kishimoto has recently done. I'm serious the whole Orochimaru resurrection just took the wind out of my sails. But never fear I have not given up, so without further delay, here is another chapter, sit back, relax and enjoy.**

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**AN: I'm sure all my loyal readers are aware that I usually go on a bit of a rant at the end of my chapters about the latest manga updates; well this chapter I'm going to do the rant at the beginning. First let me ask you all, how many of you were not surprised in the least that Obito Uchiha was behind that mask? I for damn sure wasn't surprised. I've probably said it once and I'll say it again this Manga should not be called **_**Naruto**_** it should be called **_**Uchiha**_**. Can anyone explain to me why there is always a loop hole for people like Madara, Orochimaru and now Obito to miraculously live again, but for the Hokages and Jiraiya there is no get out of death free card? **

**I think the only exception to this rule should be the Jinchurikkis and Itachi; these are the only people who have had such a fucked up life that they deserve another chance. But Kishimoto doesn't see things like that, apparently in order for him to pull you out of your grave you have to be hell bent on ruling the world. **

**Okay, that might be it for the rant and Kishimoto if you're reading this…STOP FUCKING UP THE STORY! We as your fans will only take so much before we track you down and stomp on your head Gangnam Style.**

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When Temari woke up, she started her day just as she had all other days since she came to the Hidden Leaf Village. She got dressed in her work out clothes, grabbed her fan and went out to the backyard/training grounds for her daily training session. She felt a pang of disappointment when Naruto didn't join her. The powerful blonde shinobi with the cerulean blue eyes and aura of a warrior and a leader had grown on her she could admit freely.

He was always there with an open ear and always encouraging her to not give up on her attempts to connect with her little brother, he had become a staple in her life in the 3 months she has lived in Konoha. Temari put her disappointment aside and focused on her training. Three hours later she was showered and dressed, and still had not seen another living soul who lived in the house with her. That wasn't out of the ordinary except that Naruto would usually make it a point to see her most mornings if he was able.

After having breakfast Temari went straight to the post office. Every day since writing her first letter to Gaara to try and reach out to her red headed brother she made two trips a day to her mailbox, once in the morning and once again before going home for the evening. It was a combination of her stubbornness and Naruto's encouragement that she checked it every day. She was determined to have the full family that her father denied her when he kept Gaara locked away.

She used to write Gaara at least 2 or 3 times a week. At first the letters were all apologies for the way she treated him and pleads for forgiveness. After a while the 3 letters a week tapered off into 1 long letter with regular updates on the goings on in her life. How she and Naruto were getting along, as well as how she was getting along with Hana and Anko her future sister wives. The one thing she never changed about her letters was the way she signed them. "With love you sister Temari" without fail she always signed her letters like that.

Temari was in for a surprise as she entered the post office; she waved hello to the clerk on duty, most of them new her on sight because of the frequency she came there. Temari went straight to her mail slot and as she got closer she stopped en route and blinked dumbly at what she saw. Nestled in her slot was a white envelope. Temari approached slowly like she was approaching a wounded animal; afraid that at the slightest threatening move the letter would run away from her.

Temari took the letter out of the slot with shaking hands and in the corner of the envelope in surprisingly neat script was the simple return address that unbeknownst to Temari brought tears to her eyes, "Gaara, Hidden Sand Village". Temari tore the envelope open and pulled out a simple white sheet of paper. She unfolded it carefully, it wasn't a long letter, Temari wasn't expecting it to be, Gaara, was a person of few words, but those words always had an impact on the people who heard them.

_Temari,_

_You are forgiven. Thank you for the constant letters, they have given me a reason to continue on the new path I have chosen to for myself. I'm glad you are doing well in Konoha. I have to go now; I look forward to getting to know my sister in person when you return. By the way, Kankuro is feeling neglected because you haven't sent him any letters yet, every time I receive one he sulks in a corner for hours. _

_Gaara._

A watery smile stretched across Temari's face as she reread Gaara's letter over and over. Temari was bursting with happiness, she left the post office at a dead run heading towards the one person she knew would know how much this letter meant to her. Hopefully Naruto was still in the village and not out on a mission.

**(Ninja Academy)**

"Alright class listen up!" Naruto bellowed. Naruto was once again pulling substitute duty at the academy, this time it was for a class of soon to be graduates. "According to the lesson plan, today was going to be a review lesson of the three basic jutsus as well as a sparring session. Well that's all changed somewhat. Today we will be reviewing evasive maneuvers. Does everyone have a package?"

"Hai Sensei!" the students responded even as all 20 something students looked confusedly at the white wrapped bundles in their hands.

"Good, here's the scenario. You've just stolen documents from an enemy village containing plans to destroy Konoha. These plans are crucial to our survival. Your goal is to survive the next 8 hours and deliver the contents of these packages to the Hokage Tower intact. Who can tell me the point of this exercise?"

A couple of hands went up immediately. "Yes, you in the back?"

A boy with deep purple hair answered him. "To test out endurance."

"Good that's one answer, anyone else?" Naruto asked looking around; no more hands went up "I set the limit for this exercise for 8 hours but who knows how long a situation like this mock mission could last. It could be 8 hours or 8 days. But there's more to this than endurance, this is also about thinking under pressure. You pursuers are going to be relentless; they are not going to stop until you are dead. Eventually, you're going to be tired and hungry; you're going to start making mistakes. That is when you have to dig deep and find your resolve, that hidden reservoir of strength that will allow you to keep going." Naruto looked over his temporary students and was glad to see some of them clutching those packages a little tighter. "Let's get this started, the only restrictions are you cannot leave the village, how you evade your pursuers is up to you. Now everyone open your packages."

A cacophony of tearing paper was followed by a whole lot of confused muttering.

"Sensei, what are we supposed to do with raw meat?"

Instead of answering Naruto whistle sharply. From around the corner of the academy building a pack of Inuzuka dogs sauntered into view, some where the size of regular dogs and some where the sizes of horses but the common thread between them was that they were all drooling and had their eyes fixed on a petrified academy student holding a piece of meat the size of the Hokage's hat. Naruto held up his hand and the dogs stopped their advance. "You have 20 minutes before I set them loose."

That was all that needed to be said before there was a mad scramble away from the academy.

"I have to admit, when you said you wanted to hire all available Inuzuka hounds I was curious about what you wanted them for." Tsume said as she sidled up next to Naruto to watch the kicked up dust from the running students fall back to the ground.

"Nothing drives a lesson home like experience." Naruto said turning to the Inuzuka matriarch.

Tsume let out a boisterous laugh. "These dogs are going to drive this lesson of evasion home like a sledgehammer, especially if the reward is one of those steaks."

Naruto let out a laugh of his own. He looked back at the pack of dogs now joined by their human partners who were only there to keep the more aggressive animals from doing any kind of real damage to the students. "I know I said they get a 20 minute head start, but as ninja they need to expect the unexpected. Go ahead and turn them loose."

The dogs didn't even wait for their partners to give the word they took off, drool flowing behind as their legs followed their noses. Naruto and Tsume laughed as the humans scrambled after their canine partners.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto spun around and raced towards the source of the scream. He collided with a teary eyed Temari who hugged him around the neck tight enough to almost cut off the circulation. Naruto rubbed comforting circles around the blonde Suna kunoichi's back and whispered over and over how it was going to be ok while at the same time contemplating who he had to kill for upsetting her. He nodded at Tsume when she left to give them privacy.

When Temari pulled back he was confused by her contradiction of a megawatt smile and tear stained face. But that only lasted a minute before she started waving a piece of paper in his face.

"He wrote back, he finally wrote back! He said he forgives me and he can't wait to get to know me." Temari said excitedly still waving the paper in front of her.

Finally comprehending what could make her smile like that and cry at the same time Naruto pulled her into another hug. "I told you he would come around if you kept at hit. We have to celebrate your break through. Tonight it's just me and you for dinner you pick the place."

"I'm too excited to decide where to go right now. You were the first person I wanted to share the good news with. I'm going to go write him a reply letter right now. I just had to tell you."

"I'm glad you did, you go ahead and get started on your letter but don't forget about tonight 8 o'clock."

"I'll see you tonight." Temari said.

Naruto watched Temari walk away and smothered a laugh when she almost ran into the side wall next to the gate because she was reading that letter once again. Naruto turned away from Temari and cleaned up all the discarded butcher paper that the students left behind. After he was done with that task he was kind of at loose ends for the next several hours. He was about to leave the academy grounds when his ears picked up the faint sound of a howl. And if he wasn't mistaken it sounded like a victory howl.

Hours later Naruto was standing in front of a full length mirror appraising his choice of outfit for his date with Temari. She wanted something casual because according to her they were already engaged so no need for the dress to impress clothes. He was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans, a dark green button up shirt and black boots. His hair was free from its ponytail and as usual when it wasn't held back by his head band was running wild all over his head. Checking the bedside clock he saw it was 5 minutes to 8 so he went down to meet her at the bottom of the stairs.

It was just the two of them in the house as it would be for the next couple of days at least. Hana and Anko were both sent on missions earlier that day. Naruto didn't have to wait long, Temari appeared at the top of the stairs dressed in black slacks that hugged her thighs and flared at the ankle. Her top was also black with vertical silver pinstripes; she also wore sensible flat shoes.

"Whoo! Temari you look great. You make me feel under dressed for dinner." Naruto said smiling up at her.

"Thank you and what you have on is perfect. You clean up real nice."

"I do my best, I got something for you."

Temari frowned slightly. "Naruto you didn't have to buy me something just because Gaara is talking to me now. Dinner is enough of a celebration."

"This has nothing to do with Gaara. I ordered this after we got to know each other; I was just saving it for a special occasion." Naruto said.

Temari looked at him doubtfully for a second before following him into the adjoining living. Lying on the coffee table was a black lacquered box about two feet long. She undid the latches and when she lifted the top she gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. Nestled on top of a silk pillow where two black steel folding fans.** (Princess Kitana's fans from Mortal Kombat) ** Temari picked one up reverently, it was about a foot and a half long and heavy enough to be used as a bludgeon. With a slight movement of her wrist she snapped the fan open and marveled at the workmanship. Holding the metal strands together were durable leather strips and the top of the fan looked like it was sharp enough to cut through anything. She looked at Naruto with a question obviously on the tip of her tongue.

"Koga Higurashi isn't considered the best blacksmith in the Land of Fire for nothing." Naruto said with a dismissive shrug.

Temari immediately channeled her wind chakra through the fan and a smile lit her face when it starting glowing a transparent blue. Temari picked up the other fan and snapped it open as well. Back when Temari decided to wield a fan as her shinobi weapon she started as a dual fan wielder. Later she abandoned the speed of the dual fans for the power of one large fan. Now as she held both fans in her hands she starting going through long forgotten katas for the dual fan.

Naruto watched her silently for a while before laughing out loud. "Maybe I should have waited until after dinner to give you those."

An embarrassed smile blossomed on her face. "Sorry, the craftsmanship is just so amazing I had to try them out."

"It's okay, you're a dedicated kunoichi, and I really admire that about you."

"Thank you" she said replacing the fans back in the box. "We should get going before I give in to temptation again."

"Good idea, after you." Naruto said following his fiancée out the door.

Naruto had a favorite place he liked to go with each of his fiancées. For Anko it was Tajimamori **(1) **a dango stand that earned her loyalty by serving without having to be threatened first. Hana liked a variety of different things so they usually ate this and that from street vendors and walked around. Naruto and Temari's favorite restaurant; was a place called Mika's. It was a small out of the way restaurant that treated everyone like family they hadn't seen in a while. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was warm, the two blondes had spent a lot of hours talking in that dimly lit place.

After dinner they wandered the village lost in conversation. Naruto led Temari to a natural hot spring where they rolled their pants legs up and dipped their feet in the water.

"So if you weren't a shinobi, what would you be doing?" Temari asked him.

Naruto gave it some serious thought, "I don't know. For as long as I could remember, being a ninja was all I ever wanted. I like plants, so maybe in another life I could've been a florist. In all honesty I don't think I was meant to do anything else. What about you?"

"I always come up blank whenever some asks me that question. It's in my blood." The blonde kunoichi said with a smile.

"So…how many kids do you want to have?" Naruto asked bluntly.

"Hahahaha! You want to talk about kids? We haven't even talked about the wedding ceremony, we haven't even set a date, and we haven't even kissed yet."

Naruto decided to fix one of those problems right then and there; he palmed the back of her head, pulled her towards him and captured her lips. It was only meant to be a kiss to test the waters but at the first taste of her soft lips he deepened it and devoured her mouth. He was happy to learn Temari gave just as well as she received. She was not one to let Naruto control the kiss for long; it became an intimate game of dominance. When he pulled away her lips were wet and slightly swollen, he liked that look on her.

Temari looked at him with those deadly intelligent green eyes. "Don't think that kiss distracted me from wanting to set a wedding date." She said with a grin.

Naruto pulled her closer and kissed her again.

They stayed at the hot spring for a while longer before deciding to call it a night. They shared one more kiss at the bottom of the stairs before going their separate ways. Temari went to her room and Naruto went to the kitchen to grab a drink before heading to his own room. Once inside he stripped out of his clothes and went straight for the shower alternating between hot and cold sprays. He was dressed and about to hit the snack when there was a knock on his door. It could only be one person.

"Temari, what's wrong?" He asked when he opened the door. She was standing there in a white terrycloth robe with pink freshly scrubbed cheeks, her blonde hair look slightly damp, it fell around her head slightly shadowing her eyes. She didn't say anything, just dropped her robe and there she was all pink perfect flesh, full breast and pink nipples and a light dusting of blonde hairs at the apex of her thighs.

Temari placed a hand on his chest and pushed him backwards into his room and kicked the door closed behind her. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss. It was hot and wet; his lips covered hers, stole her breath and demanded more.

He broke the kiss "What brought this on, not that I'm complaining."

"I got tired of waiting for you to come to me." She said simply as she trailed little kisses across his jawline and chin, then back to his lips.

"I was going to give you some time" Naruto said between hurried lip locks "we only got semi intimate less than an hour ago."

Temari looked into his blue eyes "Thank you for that Naruto, I may be new to this level of intimacy but I'm not the type to shy away from new experiences, I'm as bold as the desert sun and twice as hot. Now take your clothes off."

Naruto didn't have to be told a second time, fortunately he was only wearing exercise shorts and a t-shirt. Between one breath and the next he was standing before her naked and blood was rushing to his groin even as he pulled her to him for another heated kiss. His hands trailed down her back to the smooth globes of her ass and she moaned into his mouth and he swallowed it in satisfaction and deepened their kiss. He squeezed her ass and lifted her off her feet, her legs automatically going around his hips. He lowered her slowly until her pussy lips were resting slightly on his hardened cock.

He pulled away from the kiss and hissed in rapture when she moved her hips back and forth slowly grinding the top of his lengthened member. He could feel she was wet almost dripping and that thought only fueled him more. He walked her to the foot of the bed and they fell into it in a tangle of limbs. Naruto grabbed a handful of her right breast and feasted on it until she gasped and arched back silently begging him to take more of her in his mouth. He moved his hand to the center of her body, parted her tender folds and stroked the very center of her. Temari jolted up, her eyes were closed in pleasure. "Oooh" Naruto said in delight "Sensitive there are you?"

Temari nodded her head shakily and opened her eyes; the green orbs were hazy with lust. "How long are you going to tease me?"

"Be patient, it gets better." Naruto continued to play with her sensitive clit even as he trailed kisses down her rib cage and smiled against her stomach when she quivered in little jolts of pleasure.

Temari groaned in disappointment when Naruto took his hands away from her folds then her thighs closed around his ears in reflex when he took the sensitive bud in his mouth. There was no teasing as he tasted her sweet juices, he plundered and ravaged her center with reckless abandon. Her ankles crossed over his back and he heard muffled pleas of "Oh Kami keep going, don't stop!" before her lady juices coated his chin and he lapped it up like a cat to cream. He slowly swirled his tongue around her engorged clit prolonging her orgasm, then he pried her thighs apart and slowly licked and kissed up and down her inner thigh.

While she was still distracted by the tremors Naruto moved quickly and surely and sheathed himself inside her welcoming folds. She tensed and Naruto paused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just surprised; it didn't hurt as much as I was told it would." She said.

Naruto stayed as still as he could to allow Temari to adjust to the intrusion, but his cock twitched several times at the pleasurable sensation.

"It's okay, now you can move."

Naruto moved back and forth slowly and deep. She was a tight fist with equal wetness surrounding his cock it was an ache he endured without complaint. He kept his thrusts slow and even interspersing them with soft kisses to the side of her neck and playful bites on her nipples that kept her squirming.

"You're holding back" Temari said breathlessly "I promise you I'm not going to break." Then she did something that must be instinctive to all women, she lifted her hips and started meeting him thrust for thrust while at the same time clamping down on her inner walls.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut and saw stars. He grabbed her hips and stilled her movements. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "Okay, let's try that again." He reached down and rubbed circles around her clit, she tensed then her breaths went ragged. Naruto kept rubbing gauging her reactions to certain spots he hit, when he found the right spot he applied the barest amount of pressure, her hips arched up and her pussy spasmed around his cock.

Naruto didn't let her come down from her orgasm, he thrust in and out and at the same time played with her clit and kept her on a continuous loop until he felt his own end coming, he buried himself in her as deep as possible and with a fierce groan he filled her up with his seed. Their panting breaths mixed as Naruto rested his forehead against Temari's and continued to twitch inside her. He rolled to the side and took Temari with him placing her head over his rapidly beating heart.

He didn't know how long he cradled her to his chest but it didn't matter because he damn sure wasn't letting her or any of his girls go.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

**AN: (1) Minor Japanese god of sweets and confections. I know this chapter was short but I want to ease my way back into this because honestly when Orochimaru was "resurrected" I died a little. I just don't get why do all the good guys have to stay dead but Orochimaru, Madara and the Akatsuki keep popping up? I stopped reading the manga around that time so I've only recently caught up. What can I say about the latest chapters? The battle rages on, two thirds of the original Ino-Shika-Cho has passed on and so has Neji which is a damn shame. I bet they won't be back since they aren't evil. Apparently Naruto can give chakra boosts to his allies now, I guess that's kind of cool right? I mean how many of us out there wouldn't mind being a walking 5 hour energy? Get this, it is possible to retrieve someone from the stomach of the Shinigami but low and behold the only person who knows how is dun dun dun…OROCHIMARU! Last thing before I go, Tobirama hates the Uchihas so now he is among my favorite characters and did it throw anyone else off that Hashirama was a bit of a goof, but I liked it, it made him more likable to me. Laughed my ass when he said he taught Tsunade how to gamble.**


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